


Heaven

by TheInvisibleInk



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, Lesbian Character, Multi, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-24
Updated: 2015-03-16
Packaged: 2017-12-09 09:45:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 115,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/772790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheInvisibleInk/pseuds/TheInvisibleInk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When they were still children, it used to be Q, R, S and B. But now that they are in high school, they are known as The Unholy Trinity and Rachel Berry. Rachel, feeling abandoned by her best friends, tried to move on with a positive outlook. The Unholy Trinity, fed up with the guilt and the ache of missing Rachel, finally decided to mend their broken friendship with the girl. Separated by their differences, will they be able to get back how they used to be? What if the Unholy Trinity wanted more than just friendship from Rachel?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Rachel walked the halls of McKinley with her head high, a wide smile on her lips. It was the first day of her Junior year and she has a good feeling that this year would be interesting. She still didn't have many friends but at least some of the Glee kids had warmed up to her. And that's good enough for her. She reached her locker and fumbled on the code. She looked inside, sighing as she stared at the pictures plastered on her locker. There was a faraway look in her eyes as she reminisced with every image.

There were pictures of her and her dads, her idols in Broadway and members of the glee club. Her eyes darted at one particular picture that would always make her question why she was still keeping it in her locker. It was a photo of two blondes and a brunette, The Unholy Trinity. The top three in Sue Sylvester's nationally ranked cheering squad, the Cheerios. They were the most popular, most beautiful girls in all McKinley High. The only girls that had managed to climb on top of the pyramid, both figuratively and literally, as early as middle of freshman year in history of McKinley. And for that, they were feared, respected and worshipped.

And they made every day of her high school life a living hell. Did she mention every. _single_.day? For two years.

Yet, here she was staring at one picture, and then another, and then another. She practically filled half of her locker with then. She pursed her lips, seeing herself ripping the pictures apart and throwing it in the nearest garbage can. But then she also probably should stop staying a little late after school, hiding behind the bleachers to watch the girls practice, while pretending to read a book.

Or ogle them as they grace the halls of McKinley with their presence.

Even the stolen glances whenever they shared a class together. She would purposely sit at the back just to have a good view of them.

Yeah. She should put all of those to a halt. Really. It was getting ridiculous.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the crowd around her went silent and they removed themselves from the center of the hallway, almost pressing themselves on the walls as the group of Cheerios made their appearance, led by the Unholy Trinity.

And once again, she found herself staring at the three girls in the middle.

Quinn, now the captain of the Cheerios, walked in the middle of the group. Her best friends, Santana and Brittany, on either side of her. Quinn was wearing her infamous HBIC look that would make even the jocks scamper away with just a glance. Santana had her usual scowl on her face, while Brittany looked as cheerful as always.

"What are you looking at, RuPaul?"

She flinched. Okay. So maybe she's not really that good at being subtle.

Quinn sneered at her as they passed by. Santana simply ignored her. Brittany, however, was now frowning at their captain but turned to give Rachel a small smile.

Rachel simply nodded her understanding and smiled back. Brittany was never really mean to her. She couldn't hurt anyone. She may not be able to stand up for her against the fiery Latina, or the Ice Queen, but she always made sure to give Rachel a smile. No matter how quick or small it was. All she had to do was look at the blonde's eyes and that's it. No words were needed for Rachel to get the message.

She knew the blonde that well.

Nobody would probably believe her. The trio may even deny it. But long time ago, they used to be good friends. Best of friends. The closest she'll ever have. They shared a bond that nobody could understand. They were close, even closer than their own family. It was like their hearts were tied together by an invisible string. The absence of one affects all of them. They made a promise that they would always be together no matter what. Nothing could ever come between them. Not even those kids who bullied them for their imperfections. They were inseparable. Or so Rachel thought until high school came.

Popularity. Reputation. Being on top.

All of those had greatly affected their friendship. While Rachel preferred to have the average high school life, Quinn, Santana and even Brittany would have none of that. As soon as they hit puberty, the three had changed gradually. They became conscious of their physical appearance. They became obsessed with it. The imperfections that had caused them to be bullied while they were children were now gone. There was no room for flaws anymore. And Rachel had witnessed their transformation.

Rachel tried to ignore it at first. After all, they were growing up. It was practically normal for them to be conscious. But as high school drew nearer, she noticed the changes in the girls’ behavior as well.

Brittany, though still looked sweet and innocent, had somehow developed a mischievous and yet almost playful glint in her eyes. It was actually scary because you can never tell what’s going on in her mind. Santana had been more vicious than her usual self and maybe a little violent than necessary. She never had problems with the Latina’s attitude though. The tall brunette had always been protective of her friends. While Quinn, well, she was the one who changed the most. From the chubby, insecure and warm-hearted Lucy, she was now transformed to sexy, confident and Ice Quinn.

What the three had in common?

They craved for power. They were, after all, daughters of the powerful and known families in Lima. They were born to lead. Intimidating and brining down people was what they do best. And Rachel? Well, she was where she belonged. She was living her dream. To be able to sing her heart out with people who shared the same passion for music. And she found it in Glee club.

_"Glee club? Are you kidding me?" Santana scoffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest._

_The four of them gathered in Quinn's room. Santana and Brittany were comfortably lying on Quinn's bed while Quinn was sitting on a sofa, a frown on her face. Rachel was awkwardly standing in the middle of the room as she defended her newly found club._

_The first week of high school had gone by uneventful. Quinn, Santana and Brittany made it to the school's cheering squad. Rachel was so proud of them. She had no doubt they would make it._

_"What's wrong with Glee?" Rachel defended, stomping her foot._

_"It's social suicide, Rae." Brittany stated as matter of fact._

_Rachel rolled her eyes. "I do not understand why it has to be about that. Glee is a place filled with people who are very talented, though not as talented as I am, and simply wanted to express themselves through music with hopes that they will someday inspire other peo--"_

_"Save it, Rach. We know what Glee club is. It’s already painful hearing its name. We’re not really looking forward to hear you rant about it." Santana interrupted with a playful smirk. She knew how much the small brunette hated being interrupted. Her face softened though. She had always known how much Rachel loved singing and the stage._

_Again, Rachel rolled her eyes, crossing her arms with a huff._

_"Why don't you just join the Cheerios instead? We could all be together!" Brittany said in excitement._

_Rachel frowned. "Brittany, you are joking, right?"_

_Brittany only gave her a blank expression. Santana looked thoughtful. Quinn hadn't said anything of the matter yet._

_"Actually, I think it's a good idea." Santana agreed as she smiled at the tall blonde and looked at Rachel expectantly. “You get a chance to see naked cheerleaders while we shower.”_

_"Santana! That is highly inappropriate!” Rachel exclaimed as she stared at her friend wide-eyed. Just a few months ago, she had come to terms that she was in fact, gay. Having two gay dads had somehow opened her eyes early regarding her sexuality. Included in her coming out, was the realization that she also garner attraction to her three best friends. But they didn’t need to know that. She has no intentions of freaking them out. She was just lucky that they’ve been very understanding and accepting of her chosen lifestyle._

_“Though I am flattered that you consider the thought that I may be qualified to join the squad, I will have to dismiss that idea.” Rachel continued. “I know I am a great dancer but I believe that it is of a greater advantage to me if I focus more on my strength, not that dancing isn't one of them, but singing and being on stage and performing is who I am. And being in Glee club will, in no doubt, help me hone my skills which will be beneficial once I apply for college in the near future, as well as preparation on my way to stardom."_

_Once Rachel finished rambling, Santana was fighting back a grin while Brittany giggled, earning a glare from the brunette. Quinn had her eyebrow raised, a small smile on her lips._

_They've always found it amusing when the small girl rambles to simply make a point. Although they were against Glee, they were happy for Rachel. At least she had found a place where she truly belongs._

_"We won't settle to mediocrity, Rachel. We are worth more than that. You do understand, right?"_

_Those were Quinn's last words to her before things fell apart between the four of them. Actually, the trio's friendship remained intact. While Rachel...well...she slipped away. Although if people would look closer, it was her who was left behind._

Their friendship had somehow ended when the first slushie hit her face during the beginning of freshman year.

_Laughter echoed throughout the hallway as she looked up to see her closest friends, each holding en empty cup of Gulp. While she stood there in utter shock, her friends wore different expressions. Quinn’s was blank, but she could see her green eyes betrayed her. There was remorse in them. Santana couldn’t look at her in the eyes so she just walked away as fast as she could. Brittany dropped her empty cup, her hands still shaking. Rachel could see the blonde’s eyes shining with unshed tears. They were now wearing the red, black and white uniform that everybody respected. They were now part of the Cheerios. They had begun their way towards the top and nothing can stop them. Even if it meant losing a dear friend._

_“A message from Stacey, freak.” Quinn spoke the last word with coldness that could freeze the whole room. With that, she dragged the still shaking Brittany and walked off towards the direction Santana went._

_Rachel was left, shivering. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold beverage that was nor covering her body, or the coldness from Quinn’s words. Maybe both._

Rachel never took it against them. She knew it was coming since that day in Quinn's room when she told them she was joining Glee. She couldn't find it in her heart to hate them though. She understood. Ever since they were little, she knew she was different from them. While the girls would attend dancing classes together in a prestigious studio, she would be spending her afternoon in an average dance class. The trio would have their own personal vocal coaches each, while Rachel would be attending group lessons.

Rachel saw the kindness in them. She saw the real them before popularity changed them. She always believed that no matter what they did to her, they were still that same people who had treated her fairly without judgment and accepted her for who she was. Rachel would look into their eyes, and she knew, they were still her best friends...just…hiding somewhere.

For every insulting words, for every slushie and bullying that she tormented every day, she would end her day with forgiveness even if they didn't ask for it. They had that kind of effect on her. They had a hold on her that they were probably not aware of, and they will forever be her weakness. She just couldn’t let go of all the years that they had shared together.

Still, she's just a normal human being. Sometimes she couldn't help what she feels. Though she never despised the girls, there was a slight bitterness in her and the feeling of hurt because they had somehow abandoned her. They broke their promise and it crushed her heart.

But Rachel never stopped believing in them. She never stopped believing that someday, the trio would realize how much they had changed and their old selves would come out of their hiding place. And she really didn’t want to stop believing.

She would mask her pain with a wide smile. She would wait to be alone before breaking down in tears. She would not show how much they were hurting her. Because right now that’s all she could do. She would stay strong. For them.

Rachel watched as the trio stopped by their lockers, which was just beside each other. She was so lost in her thought that she didn't notice Karofsky and Azimio walking towards her, each holding a slushie.

"Stop your ogling, dyke!" Karofsky said as he threw his slushie, followed by Azimio.

_Damn. She really needed to work on her subtleness._

Rachel gasped as she felt the ice cold corn syrup made contact on her face. She unconsciously licked her lips, cherry and grape. She took a deep breath as she wiped the cold beverage from her eyes. She could hear the laughter around her. But being in that situation for two years, she was more of annoyed than humiliated.

Neanderthals. When will they stop this childishness and grow up? She knew it would be easy for her to beat them up. However, she did promised her dad that she will stay out of trouble. And she had no intentions of stooping down to their level by devising pranks of her own. She was, after all, known to be mature for her age.

Besides, that's what the fight club was for. That's where she releases all her pent up frustrations and anger. She would simply imagine that she was beating up one of her bullies and it never failed to make her feel better despite of the bruises she afflicted from it. It was always worth the pain. The pain simply it kept her going, fueling the fire that had always been inside of her, just waiting to get released. And that's what she does every Friday night.

It was way better than talking to a therapist.

With a huff, she turned back to her locker. She spent a split second to gaze at the pictures once again. Looks like those pictures would be staying in her locker after all. She couldn’t find herself to rip it out despite feeling the colored ice dripping down her face—a reminder of how the trio broke her. All of her.

She just couldn’t.

Shaking her head, she took her Slushie kit and closed her locker with a loud bang. This was getting really tiresome. Why does it have to be red _and_ purple? Their stains were the most difficult to remove.

As Rachel ran towards the girl’s locker room, three pairs of eyes watched her until she disappeared around the corner.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

“Q, I thought we talked about this. Since it’s too suspicious to suddenly call off the taunting and slushie facials from the other popular kids, the least we can do is to stop insulting her,” Brittany said, frowning at her friend’s behavior. They had discussed over the summer how they could salvage their former friend from the torments of high school, in which, as much as it pained them to admit it; they also participated in more than one occasion.

“I know that!” Quinn snapped as she slammed her locker shut.

“Oh no. You did not just use that tone on Britt!”

“San, it’s alright. Quinn is just having a bad day.”

Quinn took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She felt a hand on her arm and she relaxed. She slowly opened her eyes to see Brittany holding her. Santana was still frowning but not as much. “I’m sorry guys. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. It’s just that….it’s Finn.”

Santana’s frown deepened at the mention of the girl’s boyfriend. Other than being the quarterback of the football team, she couldn’t really find any other reason why Quinn was still with him. But then again, this was high school. Quinn and Finn were like a match made in heaven--quarterback and Head Cheerio--much to her dismay. “What did he do this time?” Santana asked with an irritated tone.

“Just the usual. Being an ass.”

Before their conversation progressed, they heard a shriek from behind them. They looked at the source and the three of them wore the same pained expression once they saw Rachel Berry covered in slushie. They also didn’t miss the derogatory term that Karofsky called her. Who wouldn’t miss that anyway? He practically screamed it louder than their coach with a megaphone.

What an asshole.

 They watched as the petite brunette ran off towards the locker room. Before they could stop her, Brittany was already on her way towards the same direction as Rachel.

“You know, I’m not graduating in this school without seeing Karofsky in misery.”

Santana only nodded in agreement, already contemplating on how they were going to torture the jock.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel stared at her reflection. Red and purple sticky fluid was all over her hair, face and sweater. She sighed as she began to undress and made her way towards the shower. Thank God for the showers in McKinley. At least, even if slushie facials are legal, the school still provided some kind of compensation for the lack of disciplinary action. Well, it’s still wasn’t as impressive as the Cheerio’s locker (she remembered Brittany talking about it when they were newly recruited for the squad), but it was decent enough. If only they could get a heater for the showers. It was freezing!

Once she was done, she wrapped herself with a towel and stepped out of the shower. She made a beeline to her Slushie kit, took out her clean clothes and replaced them with the dirty ones. She stared at her slushie covered clothes and frown. A week after her first slushie, she had come to a realization that the attacks would not come to an end any time soon. That was why she never bothered to wear her more fashionable clothing anymore. It would just be a waste. She knew that the bullying wasn't just because of her bad taste in clothes, nor her being Glee captain. Kurt was a fashion guru and yet he still receives his daily dose of slushie facial.

It was all because she was gay. And proud of it, dare she say it. She never really needed to officially 'come out' in public. She has two fathers after all. And being in a place full of narrow-minded people, they simply assumed that she was gay too. It made things simpler for her but difficult at the same time.

Being gay and proud in Lima, Ohio was like walking in a field full of mines. With just one wrong step, it would blow and destroy her life with no point of recovery. She may be able to defend herself from physical harm, but she wasn't sure if she could do the same when it comes to her emotions. Other than her dads, there were only three people that she was comfortable showing her vulnerability with. And right now, they are kind of MIA.

 Making sure that she was still alone, she dropped the towel around her body and stepped in to her underwear, followed by her bra. She was just zipping her skirt when she heard the door opened.

Appearing from around the corner of the lockers, Rachel was met with a pair of piercing blue eyes and her breath was literally taken away.

"Brittany," Rachel simply stated as a form of greeting once she got over her initial surprise. She had to admit that Brittany's mere presence was making her heart beat faster than normal. It's been a while since she'd been this close to the tall blonde.

"Hi Rachel," Brittany replied, smiling at the brunette as she stepped closer to the other girl. She placed her clasped hands behind her as she rocked on her heels, back and forth. She tilted her head to the side as she observed the petite girl in front of her.

Rachel felt her cheeks burn as Brittany blatantly scrutinize her from head to toe. She realized that she was still shirtless and she consciously crossed her arms in a defensive manner. She'd like to think that the blonde was there to use the facility, but considering that the Cheerios had their own locker room, it was safe to assume that the she actually followed her there. It was kind of baffling for her. Before the brunette could say anything, the blue eyed girl beat her to it.

"I'm sorry about Quinn. You know how she gets when she's having a bad day."                                                                                           

Rachel’s jaw slightly dropped but she recovered quickly. For the second time within the past five minutes, Brittany surprised her. Surely, she wasn't there to simply apologize for Quinn's shortcomings. Quinn had been that way for the past two years, and this was the first time Brittany came to talk to her about it.

As if sensing Rachel's thoughts, the blonde spoke, "I also came here to check on you. I saw what happened at the hallway earlier. I would've been here sooner but I got held up by Sam," Brittany explained as she took another step closer to Rachel.

Alright. If earlier she was surprised, now she was utterly shocked. That, and combined with an unexplainable tightness in her stomach with the mention of the blonde's boyfriend.

"I'm fine, Brittany. Thank you for asking," Rachel replied as calmly as she could. She tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace with all the emotional turmoil that's going on with her. Being clad only with a bra and a skirt didn’t help her situation at all, as well as the fact that Brittany had somehow managed to stand too close to her without her realizing it. The tall blonde was almost on her personal space now. The closeness surprised her, causing her to step back and she felt her back hit the cold metal of the lockers.

That’s it. She was trapped.

"Are you sure? Your cheeks are all red," Brittany asked softly, taking another step towards the brunette. She cupped Rachel’s cheek with one hand, feeling the warmth from the other girl’s face, “And you’re really hot.”

Rachel felt her heart stopped beating all together. She wasn’t sure if it was because of that small physical contact, or the fact that Brittany told her she was hot. The blonde could have meant that she was hot as in warm to touch, or hot _hot._ But seeing the smirk on the tall girl’s face, she probably meant both.

Rachel’s knees grew weak, eyes wide, as she leaned firmly on the locker for support.

"I-I...well...uhh..."

_Oh my God! Rachel Berry? Stuttering? No way!_

All of Rachel's coherent thoughts flew out the window as she stared at the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. She tried to rummage through her brain for words that she knew she had stored somewhere. There was supposed to be a lot of them! And yet, here she was, wide-eyed and speechless, and probably looking like a complete moron.

No wonder she never got herself a girlfriend. She had no game.

Rachel's thoughts were sent back to reality when she heard a soft giggle coming from the tall girl in front of her. Their faces were just a few inches apart now and all she could do was stare.

"You really are adorable when you have that thinking face."

Rachel opened and closed her mouth like a fish, thinking of how to respond at Brittany's statement.

Was she flirting with her?

Brittany Pierce? A Cheerio? One of the most popular girls in school? Girlfriend of school's running back?

Nah. Not a chance.

"You're doing it again."

Rachel scrunched her nose in confusion. "I have a thinking face?"

Brittany chuckled, a playful smile on her lips.

Of course. This was Brittany we're talking about. She had always been the playful one among their group. The playful kind that had no malice. Sometimes.

Rachel felt her cheeks getting warmer and stared back at Brittany. "I apologize, Britt," she started, unconsciously using the childhood nickname she had for the blonde as she relaxed a little. "I was just a little surprised to see you here. It's been a while and I wasn't really expecting this confrontation as I have gotten used to being alone...to fend for myself."

Rachel watched as the playful smile at the blonde's lips faltered and was replaced with a frown. Before the cheerleader could say anything, Rachel reached for the hand that was still on her cheek and hold on to it while gently leaning on the touch. She sighed as she felt the warmth from the blonde's palm.

"It's alright, Britt. You don't have to feel bad about it."

"But--" Brittany was cut off when the door burst open, revealing a brunette and another blonde.

Rachel jumped in surprise, releasing her hold on Brittany. She would've stepped back if only she wasn't trapped between the blonde and the lockers.

"Quinn, Santana." Rachel acknowledged the presence of the other two Cheerios, her voice sounding more of a squeak as the beating of her heart fastened once again. She wasn't sure if it was because of the presence of theUnholy Trinity in front of her--while shirtless--or because she was caught having a somewhat _intimate_ moment with Brittany. It was nothing new to them...but it had been two years since the last time she got this close to any of them. It almost felt like foreign to her...but familiar at the same time.

The newly arrived Cheerios simply stared at the scene in front of them. The sight of Rachel only clad in a bra caught them off guard, not to mention that Brittany somehow was able to trap the small girl against the lockers. Rachel’s hair was still dripping wet from the shower and they watched as her chest rise and fall in a rather fast rhythm.

It was just, well, hot.

And they tried not to stare at Rachel’s half naked body. They really did. They heard Rachel cleared her throat, somehow breaking their Rachel’s-naked-body-induced trance.

"Hey midget." Santana greeted, finally breaking the silence.

Rachel snapped her head towards the taller brunette. The absence of the usual viciousness on Santana’s voice didn’t go unnoticed by her. It sounded so casual. It was as if the girl who said it was Santana from two years ago, one of her best friends and not the Cheerio Santana who was feared by the whole student body. Her face seemed to be relaxed though Rachel could tell that the Latina’s eyes were a little darker than the usual chocolate orbs as it stared at her up and down. It was almost as if Santana was checking her out.

Wait…what?

"What's with the thinking face?" Quinn asked, with her eyebrow raised.

Rachel furrowed her brows and scrunched her nose. Thinking face? “Why is everyone saying that?” She huffed as she crossed her arms.

Once again, the Cheerios were distracted as Rachel crossed her arms over her chest, her breasts pressing together as a result of her action. Brittany unconsciously licked her lips, Santana simply ogled without blinking and Quinn bit her bottom lip.

You know that awkward moment when the three most beautiful girls in school that you had admired ever since childhood were simply staring at you while you were half naked and you could practically feel the heat burning your ears from embarrassment and you know, awkwardness?

Yeah. This was it. And she prayed that the ground would simply swallow her whole and to never spit her out. Ever.

Brittany was wearing that playful smile again. Santana was looking at her with amusement in her eyes. Quinn still had her eyebrow raised, a smile threatening to form on her lips.

"So...” Rachel said, a poor attempt at filling up the very _awkward_ silence. Could she just emphasize that? Because, really, she couldn’t find any another term to describe the situation right now. She found the tiles on the ground interesting all of a sudden, oblivious at the gawking girls. She rubbed the back of her neck, a nervous habit she couldn’t seem to get away from.

Rachel’s voice broke the spell that the Cheerios were currently under. A spell that she herself created without her knowing about it.

"Sure. You ready to go Britt?" Santana said nonchalantly, as if she didn’t spend the last few minutes staring at someone’s chest.

Rachel was startled when she realized how close Brittany was to her. For some reason, the blonde didn't even bother to step away from her when the two remaining members of the Unholy Trinity busted through the door. It was as if Brittany was expecting them to come in anytime.

"Sure." Brittany shrugged, moving away from the small brunette and towards her co-Cheerios.

Before the trio went out, Rachel was surprised when the Head Cheerio looked back at her and their eyes met.

"We’ll see you later, Rae."

With that, Rachel was left alone to ponder on the warmth feeling that spread through her body when she heard her childhood nickname slipped the blonde’s lips.

"I knew it. This year was going to be interesting."


	2. Chapter 2

Rachel Berry has always been the biggest loser in school. She's been stuck at the bottom of the food chain since, well, ever. Having gay dads seem to have given her that unfortunate privilege. It was like she was born to be the social outcast. It doesn't really help that people think she was kind of obnoxious and self-centered as well. She can't help it that she was raised to be proud of herself no matter what. Besides, no one can deny how musically talented she was. And she won't deny it to herself either. She may be born a loser, but she will someday live as a star and will take over Broadway.

That is, if she survives.

Okay. So, it's bad enough that she had to tolerate the Neanderthals disguised as teenagers in high school during the day, but she also had to find herself fighting for her life in the middle of the night.

And no. She wasn't fighting any supernatural beings. Thankfully. They may be fictional creatures but it will definitely be the death of her if it comes true. No…she was no Slayer. But her situation right now does involve fighting.  _A lot_.

Unfortunately, her loving but a little idiotic of a father has a hobby of going to fight clubs.

Really? What kind of a hobby was that?

Idiot.

Don't get her wrong. She loves her dads more than anything in this god forsaken world. That's the reason she found herself in this situation in the first place. She'd do anything for them, just as they would do anything for her.

And now, it's her turn to show that love...even in the most absurd and life threatening way.

Her Dad, Leroy, was a strong fighter and very confident of himself. He's been active in fight clubs ever since Rachel could remember. According to Leroy, it's his way of relieving stress. Her Daddy, Hiram, wasn't really fond of this 'hobby'. He was the sane one among their small family of three. But he didn't have a say to it since Leroy had already been a fighter before they even met.

However, Rachel's dads do get old. They're normal human beings after all. And that's the dilemma that had hit their family. Being egoistic (she got that from him), his Dad somehow thought that he could still fight. Unfortunately, he found himself confine in a hospital bed with two broken ribs, his whole face swollen and a blunt trauma on his head. He didn't end up comatose though. Thank God for small miracles.

But that's not all. While Leroy was temporarily bedridden, Rachel and Hiram found themselves indebted with the most powerful man Underground. Somehow, her egotistical, idiotic of a father thought it would be  _beneficial_ for the family to gamble with the scheming man who led the Underground, thinking that his years of experience gave him an edge.

Jesus. What was he thinking?

And so, they now face the problem on how to earn $200,000 (she couldn't believe bets could go that high) within a month as payment for Leroy's carelessness. Or else...

Rachel didn't even want to think about it. Whatever it was, she knew it was bad. The Underground people would kill in a heartbeat for the sake of money. She shudder just thinking of it.

Both Rachel and Hiram were furious. But as they look at Leroy's condition, they can't help but feel sympathy for the man who only wanted the best for his family.

No matter how stupid it was.

Being a girl, her Dad had been teaching her self defense since she was able to walk. To say that she was skilled was an understatement. But being idealistic (still an idiot, and yes, she couldn't emphasize that enough), Leroy had always told her that she was not to use her "other" talent to hurt other people unless necessary.

Yeah right. Like his 'hobby' wasn't about hurting people.

_"There's a big difference, honey. I don't just beat people in school grounds or any other public place. It's called a fight club for a reason. But you don't just randomly hit a helpless-"_

_Rachel scoffed at the word._

_"-boy and beat him up just because he insulted you. You should resort with your own verbal assault instead."_

_"Leroy. Way to teach your kid how to behave." Hiram said with a hint of sarcasm._

_"I try." Leroy shrugged, purposely ignoring the sarcastic comment._

_Rachel snickered but quickly covered it as a cough and changed to serious mode when Hiram gave her a stern look._

Rachel remembered having that argument with her dads during the middle of her freshman year. She finally got tired of all the teasing and insults that she found herself "almost" expelled. She could handle all name callings, the rude comments about her chosen wardrobe, even the slushies, but what she would never tolerate was that when they bad mouth about her fathers. It was simply unacceptable.

That was why one day, she found herself in the principal's office when her fist made contact to a jock's jaw, who insulted her fathers, knocking him out cold. Mr. Schue, their glee club director, intervened and saved her ass. She may not be fond of the man, but she was just as thankful.

And as for that jock, he never bothered her again. Ever.

Except for the everyday slushies. She didn't fail to notice that it had been more frequent ever since that incident. Ugh.

Did she mention that the jock was none other than the boyfriend of one Quinn Fabray? Yeah. It was safe to assume that Rachel had double reason she knocked him out cold. With just one punch by the way. And he was three times her size. What a wimp. That memory makes her want to crack every single time.

Her dads almost grounded her for a whole school year. Almost. But they do have a soft spot for their only daughter and Rachel tends to use it in every chance she gets. That's why she was only grounded for a week. Not that it mattered. She doesn't really go out as much as she used to now that she's in high school. Oh, the irony of it all.

And after that incident, she expected that she was at least able to pass the message and finally get the respect she deserves.

But no. It only made things worse.

Insults and slushies were thrown at her in every direction. Rachel even considered bringing her whole closet just so she can have enough change of clothes.

Was it that bad that he was Quinn's boyfriend? He wasn't even worth it.

And yet, she found herself dealing with two to three slushies a day, with more than just one cup of slushie per attack. Wow. So much money wasted. And to add insult to injury, the HBIC seemed to be giving her more attention than usual. Every time they would cross path, derogatory nicknames were thrown at her from here and there. Santana's snarky remarks pierce through her chest like a knife. And Brittany? Well, she's Brittany. The tall girl never attacked her, but she never defended her either. She wasn't really sure if that was worse.

The Unholy Trinity never looked at her without hate in their eyes, especially Quinn. The blonde's gaze would always made Rachel shudder and frozen in her spot.

Ppfftt. It was just one hit. Quinn didn't have to make a big deal out of it. It wasn't Rachel's fault her giant boyfriend was a wuss. Seriously.

But it pained her. All the vindictive things they were doing to her. It really did. And to think that they used to protect each other. Rachel would always find herself alone in the auditorium playing with the piano or practicing in the choir room just to take her mind off of things. Sometimes she hides under the bleachers and spends her free time reading, closing herself from the cruel world called reality.

But anyway, back to the issue at hand. She got a little off tracked. That wasn't actually the 'dilemma' that they needed to face. The constant bullying was actually part of her  _ordinary_  day at school.

What they need to do now was to find a way to get $200,000.

Hiram was a doctor in Lima General Hospital. He has a reputation but his pay wasn't enough to get that much money in 30 days even if he worked his ass off. It was just not possible. The fact that Leroy was still in the hospital only made it difficult for them. They were just thankful that Hiram works there. It lessened the financial burden just a little.

Leroy works as a part time mechanic in the Hummel's garage. He didn't earn much there as compared to fighting. He also trains some of the fighters from the Underground. Unexpectedly, as much as they (Rachel and Hiram) hated to admit it, Leroy earned really well from the fight club. He managed to get Rachel her dream bike, a red Honda CBR500R. In cash.

So they couldn't really complain with his Dad's chosen lifestyle, especially her who was spoiled to death. But they always hoped that it wouldn't end a disaster.

Unfortunately though, it did.

They didn't have a choice. They were really desperate.

One day, when one of the middlemen of the Underground Boss came knocking on their door, Rachel knew it was their only way out. She took the offer without second thoughts. She would do it.

Rachel would fight in place of her father as payment.

Hiram was devastated. Rachel knew he was more than willing to take Leroy's place. However, he couldn't even hurt a fly to save his life. He will die in that ring even before he can lift his fist.

Leroy was broken. He kept blaming himself but it was all forgiven. They were a family. They were all in this together. Rachel will do anything for her parents. Anything.

And once she made a decision, she was determined to make it happen. Her dads knew that. Argument was not an option. It was final.

And so, for a year now, she would always find herself standing in the middle of the ring every Friday night, throwing punches and several kicks against another body. Only this time, she wasn't there to pay debts. She wasn't fighting for her survival anymore. Now she understood why her Dad got so hooked in it. It was overwhelming. She felt more alive with every pain that she received. For every hit she took, the emotional burden she carried felt lighter, enough for her to live another day with her head held high and a smile on her lips.

Like she said, it was better than any therapy.

Rachel condemned violence but whenever she's in Underground, she never expected that it would feel more like her second home.

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/**

Rachel hated it when they call for an "emergency knockdown" during school nights and by emergency knockdown, it only means "we need an extra fighter and you're the only one who can't say no". She despised it for so many reasons.

 _One_ , it's a school night.

 _Two_ , it was 12 midnight and instead of having her beauty sleep, she found herself acting ninja-ish just to be able to sneak out of her own house since her Daddy is a very light sleeper. Both her fathers don't really agree to this emergency knockdown thing. It wasn't like they can do anything about it. If only things were that simply. Though her parents were aware of this rendezvous, she didn't want them to worry throughout the night so she tries not to tell them as much as possible.

 _Three_ , it's a school night.

 _Four_ , her Dad trains her every morning at around 5am. So she's pretty sure that even if she was be able to sneak out tonight, she'll get her usual "talk" from her dads once she gets home. It was her typical morning talks with her parents every after emergency knockdown. Her Dad would simply cancel their session so she could get some rest. She usually doesn't get many bruises since most of her opponents were either a newbie, or just plain stupid.

 _Five_ , it's a school night. Damn it!

Oh, and she has Calculus exam tomorrow. Damn it more! She was never good at numbers.

Rachel closed their front door as quietly as she could and made her way towards their garage. She inserted the key to her bike and turned it slightly just so she could push the bike until she was out of the street. Once she was there, she mounted the bike, wore her helmet and started the ignition. She closed the zipper on the front of her leather jacket and she rode off towards her destination with a speed that broke a lot of traffic laws.

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/**

"Sorry for the short notice, Berry Jr." a man greeted her at the entrance. He was bald, looks about in his late thirties. He has an average body built but his muscles were firm, his tight black shirt giving his buff chest an emphasis.

Rachel cringed at the nickname. Everybody knew of her dad, Leroy. In his long stay in Underground, he was able to make a name for himself. They respected him. However, it didn't mean that the Underground people treated her gently. As a matter of fact, as an initiation, they greeted her with three fights on her first night, breaking their own rules just to  _welcome_  her. But within a year, she began to gain her own reputation. She may not have a lot of experience in fight clubs, but she had been taught to fight since she was a kid. Thus, the name Berry Jr. Because according to them, she was following the steps of her father.

"I know you're not really sorry, Brian. And stop calling me that."

Rachel is proud of her Dad and being a Berry. But the name still sucks.

Brian chuckled as she followed the brunette and sat down on the bench. They watched the current fight before Rachel excused herself to change to her fighting attire.

A few minutes later, Rachel emerged from the locker room wearing black sports bra and a pair of shorts. She walked towards the bench she shared with Brian and dropped her duffel bag. She busied herself on wearing her hand wrap while she waited for her turn. When she was done with her hands, she went on one corner of the room to do some warp up. She did some stretching, pushups and practice punches. Once she felt her blood pumping, she made a beeline to the ring to wait for her name to be called.

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/**

Rachel felt her blood pumping through her veins, adrenaline rushing through her whole body. She could feel her pulse beating faster with excitement as she stepped inside the ring. She stood at one side as she gave her opponent a once over. It was the first time she saw the man standing in front of her. He looked young but not younger than her. His body was lean but unlike the other fighters who looked more like wrestlers. All in all, he looked average. There was no scowl in his face that was supposed to look  _intimidating slash scary_. He looked calm, almost confident, and for some reason, it alarmed the brunette.

The two individuals in the ring stared at each other, planning how to attack. Rachel, growing impatient, threw the first punch, aiming for the jaw. The man quickly dodged her fist and swiftly delivered a blow on Rachel's left side. Rachel was surprised by the pain that shot through her body, the wind getting knocked from her lungs for a moment. Before she could recover, she felt his fist making contact with her right jaw followed by another one on the other side of her face, causing her to step back. Then she felt a kick on her front chest.

_Gah! Damn. He hit hard! That's going to leave a bruise._

Rachel fell to her knees, taking a moment to recover from the consecutive attacks. She groaned in pain and held her now painful chest. She glared at the man in front, who was now looking down at her, a smirk on his lips as if taunting her.

 _Bastard_.

The brunette stood up quickly, eyes filled with rage. She took a deep breath, ignoring the pain on her chest and left side. She took up a fighting stance, her eyes meeting with his opponent, sending him a message to make his attack. He didn't fail her.

This time, Rachel was prepared. She ducked the fist that was coming her way the third time that night. As a counter, she gave her opponent an uppercut, hitting him straight under the chin. Hard.  _Yes!_  She grabbed the back of his head and smashed it on her right knee. Hard. She saw his eyes widen in shock and he grimaced in pain, covering his face with both of his hands. He stumbled backwards, still clutching his now bleeding nose and lips.

_Bet he didn't expect that!_

Rachel stepped forward and delivered a roundhouse kick, hitting the side of his head. She watched him fall to the ground, unconscious.

And once again, Rachel Berry owned the ring.

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/**

"Hey."

Rachel was just about to climb up her bike to go home when she heard someone approaching her, then a voice. She turned around and was surprised to see the same guy she was fighting half an hour ago. He has a tape on his nose bridge and was now nursing a bruise on the side of his head. She tried to control the grin that was threatening to appear on her lips. Instead she faked a cough and cleared her throat.

Fortunately, her attempts didn't go unnoticed by the man.

"I know. You kicked my ass back there," he said trying to smile but came out as a frown due to his bruised lips. "I have to admit, you live up to your name. I'm Jesse St. James," Jesse introduced himself, extending his hand to Rachel.

"Thank you." Rachel said with a confident smile.

What? She  _is_  Rachel Berry.

"Rachel Berry. "

"I know." Jesse said as they shook hands.

"Oh really?" Rachel arched a brow, more from curiosity rather than surprise.

"I've already been in a lot of other fight clubs. I've been hearing all about you for quite a while now. I had to see it for myself. And I must say you did not disappoint."

"Thank you. But I must say being the daughter of a legend has its perks."

"Leroy Berry, right?"

"So you've heard of him too?"

"Yeah. Like you said, he is a legend. It's too bad he's retired now."

"True. But it is for the better." Rachel paused in thought. "You seem to know a lot of these facts."

Jesse shrugged. "People talk."

"I thought people weren't supposed to talk about fight clubs?"

Jesse shrugged. "Fight club people talk about fight club related stuff  _in_  a fight club. It wasn't like we were talking outside of it."

Rachel nodded. "Of course. I apologize for my assumptions."

Jesses chuckled. "Well, for a badass, you sounded so…formal."

"Yes. I actually get that a lot. Wait until you hear me 'ramble', as they rudely put it." Rachel said, making a quotation on the air. "From what I have been told, I tend to talk too much on which I have to strongly disagree, as I don't see any fault from simply trying to express my thoughts to the best of my ability."

Jesses hummed with a nod, his smile growing wide. "It was nice to finally meet you." He said, beginning to back away from the brunette. "Berry Jr." he finally added with a playful smirk before jogging back to the entrance of the club.

Rachel fought the urge to stomp her foot once the horrible nickname reached her ears. With a huff, she climbed her bike. She didn't bother to put on her helmet, because damn, the bruises on her jaw and cheeks were throbbing in pain.

Jesse didn't hold back, that's for sure.

With the same law-breaking-speed, she drove her way home with hopes of catching at least four more hours of sleep before school starts.

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/**


	3. Chapter 3A

Rachel was running late that morning. She couldn't believe she overslept. When she got home last night, she took pain medication before going to bed. Though the pain on her body was bearable, she still wanted to get a comfortable sleep. Well, the medication worked perfectly because when she woke up, her clock was telling her it was already 7:30. She shrieked, stumbled out of bed and went straight to the bathroom. It was probably the shortest shower she ever had. She just grabbed whatever clothes she has on her closet and put it on without bothering to look in the mirror. She hurried down the stairs and went straight to their kitchen.

"Dad, Daddy, I can't belie—" Rachel stopped herself once she was welcomed with an empty kitchen. The notes on the fridge caught her eyes. One was from her Dad, and the other one from her Daddy. Her Dad was called earlier that morning to coach someone out of town. He would be back later that night. After recovering from his injuries, he never went back in the ring, but he still trained fighters who seek his expertise in fight clubs.

_So that's why he didn't wake me up on our usual training hours._

Her Daddy, on the other hand, had an emergency in the hospital.

Rachel panicked. This only meant that she had no ride going to school. She glanced at the wall clock and groaned. It was a quarter past 8 already. She never bothered to eat breakfast and went straight to the front door. She considered riding her bike to school. She never really used it to school before. Her dads always gave her a ride, plus she was always wearing skirts. Really short skirts. Other than her talent, she liked showing off her legs. But nobody had to know that. Really.

She considered changing clothes. But then again, her bruises still hurt really badly. She didn't think she could wear her helmet with her face still a little swollen from the fight. And her Dads were very particular with helmets, especially her Daddy who had a lot of experiences treating patients with injuries due to motor accidents.

With that thought, she stopped walking. She forgot to put make up to conceal her bruises. She palmed her forehead for her stupidity. How could she forget that? She's been doing it for a year already!

Rachel saw the extent of the damage on her body once she got home last night. Her side and chest were turning a little purple, the same goes for her right jaw and left cheek. She's pretty sure that the discoloration on her face was more noticeable now as compared last night. There was no way she could walk around the neighborhood without people noticing.

And people noticing was a bad thing. She was still a minor after all.

For the nth time that morning, Rachel groaned and jogged her way back to their house. It was a good thing she hadn't gotten too far yet.

Damn those pain medications.

 

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

 

"Where is she? It's not like her to be late," Brittany wondered, as she stared at the empty seat in front of them. She, Quinn and Santana decided to forego their usual sitting arrangement and sat at the back. All they needed was to glare at the people that were already occupying the seats, then another glare to anyone who attempted to take the seat in front of them.

Spanish was the only class that they all share with the brunette. They were aware that Rachel liked to sit at the back, which they find strange since the small girl had always been very competitive.

"Not sure B," Santana answered, giving a quick glance at the empty seat.

"I hope she didn't get slushied again."

The trio frowned at the thought but dismissed it right away.

"I don't think that's the case, Britt." Quinn stated and pursed her lips in thought. "I didn't see her on the hallway this morning either, which is unusual since she always comes to school early to practice singing."

They knew that fact because they did NOT happen to pass by the choir room one morning and heard the girl's angelic voice and they did NOT mean to  _purposely_  pass by the said room every morning after Cheerio practice since then, and they did NOT linger outside the room just a _little_  longer to watch and listen to the brunette singing, until they would realize they were being obvious.

Because that's just creepy, right?

Suddenly, the class room door opened and Rachel stepped inside, looking flushed, her hair disheveled and she was breathing hard.

The trio shared similar questioning looks then glanced back at the girl standing at the front.

Messy Rachel looked hot.

 

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

 

"It was nice of you to finally join us, Rachel."

"I apologize for my tardiness, Mr. Schue. I had a…..series of unfortunate events."

"That's fine, Rachel. Just don't let it happen again. You may take your seat."

"Thank you." Rachel nodded and made a beeline to her usual seat, only to stop when she realized that it was already occupied. Confused, she surveyed the room for any available chair. Her body tensed when she noticed that the only empty seat in the room was in front of three Cheerios. The same Cheerios that she liked to steal glances during classes.

Only then, she took in the change on the sitting arrangement.

In the middle of her bafflement, she realized that Santana was actually pointing at her and then tapping the empty seat.

Oh.  _Oh!_

The realization dawned on her and suddenly, her heart was pounding against her chest. And this time, it wasn't from running.

"Rachel, is there a problem?" Mr. Shchue asked, a small amount of annoyance visible on his voice.

Rachel jumped in surprise, becoming conscious with the fact that the whole class was now staring at her. "Of course not, Mr. Schue. Everything is fine," she answered and gave her teacher her mega watt smile despite her racing heart.

"Alright. Then please take your seat so we can resume the lecture."

"Of course, Mr. Schue." Rachel nodded, taking another glance at the only empty seat. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders, tipped her head high and walked with confidence, ignoring her rapidly beating heart. During the short walk to her destination, she had already envisioned different circumstances to which the trio could embarrass her.

Once she reached her seat, she stopped briefly in front of it. She eyed the chair, then to the three girls behind, then back to the chair again. She was wary of the smiles that the trio was giving her.

Santana was smirking, Quinn was smiling sweetly and Brittany was almost challenging her mega watt smile.

Shaking her head, she, oh so slowly, sat down. She sighed in relief once her ass made contact to the wood, and not on the floor. One scenario she imagined was Santana or Quinn or even Brittany, pulling the chair away once she attempted to sit down, causing her to land on the floor with a bruised butt. And pride.

When she felt the coast was clear, she flipped her notebook open and busied herself in taking notes.

"Relax, Berry. You look tense."

Rachel yelped and almost threw her pen in surprise when she felt a hot breath on the side of her neck. Her eyes were wide, body straightened, her breath and heart stopped at the same time. Contrary to what was said to her, she only got even more anxious. She heard giggling behind her and realized that it was Santana who spoke to her. That raspy voice kind of gave her away.

Rachel spent the entire class unable to concentrate because she was pretty sure there were three pairs of eyes burning a hole on the back of head.

 

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

 

Rachel shut her locker with a huff. It was lunch break and she just realized that on her haste to go to school that morning, she didn't only miss out on breakfast, but she also didn't get the chance to prepare her own pack lunch.

And she might as well eat poison than try to eat whatever it was they call food in the cafeteria. The food there was simply terrible and not so vegan friendly.

To say that she was famished was a complete understatement. It didn't help that the pain due to her injuries were causing her some discomfort.

Deciding to completely skip lunch, she strode her way towards the clinic. She might as well catch up on some good rest since she was still feeling a bit exhausted from the fight last night. She wasn't used to getting less than eight hours of sleep. And Emergency Knockdowns don't really happen quite often.

Rachel let out a small squeak when two unknown Cheerios walked up behind her, and rudely grasped her arms on both side, literally dragging her towards the opposite direction of the clinic.

"Who are you and what do you want from me?" Rachel asked as she looked back and forth at the two cheerers sandwiching her.

Her question was answered by a smirk forming on their lips, smirks that didn't look as intimidating as a certain fiery Latina. Santana needed to teach them more of her tricks. Even she didn't fall for it. And she was Rachel _freaking_ Berry.

Rachel assumed that they were freshmen and whatever they were doing right now was probably part of their lame initiation as new members of the squad.

"Let me go this instant!" Rachel demanded, fighting the urge to stomp her foot, or better yet, the urge to use her ' _other_   _talent',_ as her Dad put it, to knock their hands off of her arms and then runaway. Fast. Because whatever they were planning to do with her, she was certain it's not good.

"Shut up, Man Hands," the Cheerio on her right side hissed at her.

Rachel rolled her eyes internally at the failed attempt (again) to be intimidating. They were an embarrassment to Quinn's  _skills_. She grunted as she slumped her shoulders in defeat. She would struggle but her energy was diminishing. Her exhaustion and hunger were getting to her.

She frowned at the thought that though she was a junior, these two freshmen still had the advantage on the height department. It was quite depressing.

She realized that they were walking towards the lunchroom, and she became apprehensive. Were they planning to humiliate her in front of everyone? The thought made her stop walking abruptly, causing the two Cheerios to stop as well.

"What now, RuPaul?" one of the cheerer said, tugging her arm forcefully this time but she didn't budge.

"Damn it! Stop resisting. You already wasted fifteen minutes of our lunch."

"If it's such a waste of time, then maybe it would be best if you just let me be."

The Cheerio scoffed. "And what? Have Quinn strangle my neck?"

"You're not even worth our time. We're just taking orders from the Unholy Trinity," the other Cheerio said in annoyance.

Rachel was perplexed. Quinn? Unholy Trinity? Orders? What?

In the haze of her confusion, she had let the two Cheerios drag her in to the lunchroom. She could feel all eyes on them as they walked around the area. She didn't pay them any attention though. She was just so tired, and all she wanted was to close her eyes and sleep.

Rachel didn't even hesitate when they led her to the popular kids' table. She thought that the more she refused, the lesser time she could have of that sleep.

 _Might as well get this over with_.

She found herself awkwardly standing in front of the Unholy Trinity. When the gravity of the situation finally sank in, her stomach tightened and she was suddenly hit with a wave of nervousness. The table went silent and its occupants were now staring at her.

This time, she was on her right mind to actually care and tilted her head down. The idea of sleeping was completely forgotten as she anxiously played with the hem of her sweater.

"Sit."

Rachel snapped her head in surprise when the uncomfortable silence was finally broken with that one word. She was met with green eyes, the owner looking at her expectantly. She frowned and tilted her head on the side to show her confusion.

Huh?

"Berry, I said.  _sit_."

Oh! The HBIC was talking to her.

Registering the firm tone of the blonde Cheerio, she glanced at the empty seat beside Quinn and hesitantly sat down. She was unsure of the reason she was brought there but she hoped they would get it over with already because, really, the 'suspense'was killing her.

As soon as she was seated, she took a quick glance at the table. She was sitting beside Quinn who was beside Finn. Ugh. Her lips quirked a little when she remembered the day she took the boy down with one hit.

On the other side of the table, Brittany and Santana were sitting beside each other, their respective boyfriends, Sam and Puck, on their sides. Well, Puck was more like a boy toy. She was pretty sure she had seen Santana and Puck flirting NOT with each other.

"Why is she here?" Finn asked in a harsh tone.

Rachel fought the urge to roll her eyes. She was just wondering the same thing. She had always hated Finn and just hearing his voice made her blood boil. How she was able to tolerate the tall boy during Glee, she would never know. She tried so hard not to cringe or make a face every time they would perform a duet. Oh, the things she would do for her club.

"We invited her. Is there a problem, Finn?"

Everyone stared at Brittany, surprised at the uncharacteristic stern in her voice. Well, everyone except Quinn and Santana who shared a knowing smile then frowned at the tall boy. Finn cowered and slumped on his chair when he noticed the double  _don't-you-dare-go-against-Britt_ glare from the two Cheerios.

"Now, be a good boy Finnocence and  _shut the hell up_."

Finn growled at the Latina only to be countered with a much more intimidating vicious glare of her own. And she didn't even have to try so hard before the tall boy looked down, crossed his arms and began grumbling nonsense. Quinn didn't even bother to hide the exasperated look on her face as she ferociously stared at her so-called boyfriend. His tantrums are not cute at all. Unlike a certain diva she knows.

"Well, if I may, I would also like to inquire as to why I was brought here against my will?" Rachel asked casually, taking that opportunity to speak once she was sure the Finn-bashing was over. Not that it wasn't entertaining to watch, but she was still a little uncomfortable being in the enemy's territory.

Alone.

It was just nerve-wracking not to know what to expect.

"We thought it would be nice to have lunch with you so we invited you over." Brittany said with enthusiasm.

Rachel's mouth hung open slightly, not sure if she should be surprised with the thought that the tall Cheerio wanted to have lunch with her or appalled because, as far as she was concern, what the freshmen Cheerios did to her wasn't really a type of invitation she had in mind.

She went for the latter. Because, well, being dragged like a doll was just rude.

"By 'invited you over', did you mean by directing two of your minions to literally drag me on the hallway by force, and purposely ignoring my inquiries as to where I am being taken which is, by the way, my right to know."

Rachel didn't miss the arched brow from the girl on her left and the narrowed eyes of the Latina across her.

"Oh, sorry about that. That was my idea actually. I was afraid you would say no so I thought it would be best to skip the pleasantries. S and Q totally agreed with me."

Rachel stared at the tall blonde in surprise. How can Brittany make it sound so casual? And  _innocent_?

Just...wow.

"I hope they were nice to you." Brittany added after a moment with hopeful eyes.

Rachel rolled her eyes with that statement. "If you mean nice as in grabbing my arms forcefully, throwing glares at me and calling me names, then yes. They were  _very nice_."

Brittany frowned, not missing the sarcasm in the brunettes tone. But Rachel wasn't done yet.

"And they failed at  _I'm-intimidating-you_  veneer, just so you know," Rachel continued ranting, deliberately ignoring the two freshmen Cheerios glaring at her. Everyone at the table have different reactions. Some ignored her; some stared at her with their mouths open while the Unholy Trinity watched her in amusement, intently listening to every word that comes out of the diva's mouth.

Though their interest was masked with Quinn's bored expression, Santana's scowl and Brittany's lost-in-space look.

"I could practically see through it without even trying. Their efforts were a naught compared to their leaders. You should definitely work on that one. Though I am not very enthusiastic with the idea of a whole squad following your steps, but as a leader, I know that you have responsibilities that you need to do. And I understand that failure to do so is simply unacceptable. I can ev- "

"Are you done yet?"

"Since you just rudely interrupted me, then I guess I am, Santana." Rachel huffed and crossed her arms, scrunching her face in annoyance. Although she knew that her frowning wasn't caused by the interruption. In fact, she was grateful for it. Because, God! Her jaw was really hurting from so much talking. And to make it worse, she couldn't even tell herself to just  _SHUT. THE. HELL. UP_!

"Good. Coz my ears are burning already." Santana said, crossing her arms over her chest. She narrowed her eyes and leaned her body slightly to the table to get closer to Rachel. "And I'm not sure how you can compliment and insult us at the same time. I thought I was the only one who can do that."

"I apologize if I made you feel that way, Santana. I didn't mean it, though I am clearly lost as to how I may have offended you girls in any way."

_Short sentences, Berry. Short sentences! You may still be able to salvage your suffering jaw before it falls off._

"She meant, Berry," Quinn said with a hint of irritation in her voice. "That although you indirectly commended on how effective we are on being a  _bitch_ , you also compared us to the new bloods, which is _simply unacceptable_." She explained, mocking Rachel's own words.

"You wouldn't want your singing to be compared to Mike, right? Though I haven't really heard him sing yet."

Rachel was horrified. "There is not even a point to compare, Brittany! That is very disparaging!"

"Exactly the point, Midget. Now better shut your mouth before you say anything more  _disparaging_  to us or I swear, I will ends you."

Everyone at the table was startled when the small brunette slammed both her hands on the table and stood up abruptly, almost knocking her chair backwards. "If you  _invited_  me here so you can mock me and be mean to me, then I'm going to have to take my leave. Thank you for having me here." Rachel said in a calm voice, minding to be polite despite of the situation before storming off.

The Unholy Trinity was astounded as they watch the diva walked out of the lunchroom. They grimaced as the realization of what just happened dawn on to them.

"Pfft. Drama queen." Finn muttered and regretted it right away when three pairs of eyes shot him a vicious glare. He went back to sulking in his chair. Sam and Puck looked at their friend sympathetically, mentally giving themselves a tap on the back for shutting their mouth all throughout.

"What happened to being nice?" Brittany looked at her co-Cheerios in disappointment. Quinn and Santana had the decency to look down in embarrassment, but didn't say a word.

 

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

 

Rachel groaned as she read the text from her Daddy, informing her that he was going to be late picking her up. And her Dad was still out of town. She was really disappointed because she was dying to lie on her bed. Though she would normally just walk home every time her fathers couldn't pick her up, she wasn't up for it today due to her condition.

She was completely drained. She fought so hard not to fall asleep during her afternoon classes and the incident at the cafeteria with the Cheerios was her last straw. She was even tempted to spend the rest of the afternoon sleeping in the clinic but decided against it. Her image of being a good student getting the best of her.

She wished they could have Glee every day so she wouldn't have a problem killing time every time her dads are late. But that would interfere with football practice and half of the members of the club were football players. Unfortunately.

So instead, she found herself sitting on the bleachers in the football field. She wasn't watching the football practice though. Her eyes were actually glued on the other side of the field where the Cheerios were doing their usual stretching before beginning their laps.

Suddenly, not having Glee club everyday wasn't so bad anymore.

Her eyes moved towards three particular Cheerios. The same girls who kept plaguing her thoughts for so long now, the girls who made her heart pound just by looking at them. Her mind was a chaos when they're around. The two years that they were apart only made it worse.

Rachel was too tired to even hold a book and pretend to read like she usually do while watching girls clad in short skirts do their stunts. Instead, she resolute to placing her elbows on her thighs and rested her chin on her palms. She was far away after all. No one would notice.

That was until she yelped in pain when something hit her face. Straight to her bruised cheek.

Fuck!

Rachel held her cheek and closed her eyes tightly, her eyes burning from unshed tears. She could feel her cheek throbbing in pain.

"Hey freak! Enjoying the view?"

She fluttered her eyes open when she heard Finn laughing with his team mates.

_That fucking retard! I'm going to fucking beat him until he stopped fucking breathing! Fuck!_

Rachel grimaced at how much she could swear in her thoughts. That was a first. Finn really did bring out the worst in her.

"Hey Jew babe, are you okay? Sorry I wasn't able to stop him."

Puck hovered over her, panting, as he picked up the football that bounced on her face when it hit her. She looked at the Mohawk boy and could see worry written all over his face, probably noticing her pained expression.

"I'm alright, Noah. Thank you for asking. And it's not your fault. That  _gigantor_ ," Rachel said the last word with venom as she glared at the quarterback.

"You should probably ice that," Puck chuckled and looked at her in concern.

Rachel smiled and nodded, still holding her bruised cheek. "I will. Thank you. You should go. The team is waiting for you."

"Don't worry. Even if he's my best buddy, I'm gonna go kick his ass for you. Nobody messes with my Jew princess and get away with it." Puck said in his usual badass smirk and winked at Rachel.

Rachel laughed a little despite the pain on her cheek. She watched as Noah stepped off the bleachers and on to the field. She didn't miss the glare he gave Finn and bumped his shoulder with the tall boy as they passed by each other.

Rachel shook her head in amusement, still holding her aching cheek.

She and Noah have a secret friendship of some sort. They probably have the weirdest friendship ever invented. They had known each other since they were kids. They were both Jews after all and they went to the synagogue together. Though she grew up with Noah always teasing her, she never had ill feelings for the boy.

He was like a brother she never had.

She was there for him when his father left when they were little, just as he was there for her when her Dad was at the hospital last year. He knew about her friendship with the Unholy Trinity and how everything fell apart. He was furious but he knew he didn't have a say to it. He simply wrapped his arm around her shoulder and let her cry, the same thing he did every time she would have a fight with any of the girls when they were still kids.

But they were not as close as compared to the friendship she had with the trio. She doesn't tell him everything. He doesn't know about her Friday night life, the reason why she never showed up in his parties.

He doesn't know about her attraction with her former best friends that was why he never knew how hurt she was when he told her about being with Santana.

And she was still hurting even though she was aware that what Noah and Santana have was anything but serious. He doesn't know that every time she could see him flirting with another girl, she wanted to yell at his face and remind him about Santana.

But nothing beats the feeling of wanting to shave off his Mohawk by being WITH Santana.

It was really odd. And frustrating.

But Noah always had her back, just as she had his. That was the only thing that was keeping her from attacking him. He was still her friend. A very good friend. He stood by her side when her so-called best friends abandoned her. He may not be enough to fill the empty slots that they left in her life, but she knew Puck tried to be the best friend he could ever be. They may not always be together in school, but when the situation calls for it, she was sure he would jump in front of a bullet to save her.

Besides, she really didn't want the school making a big deal about their friendship. She was still the social pariah after all. And having friends from the top of the food chain was just unusual.

She remembered the first time he slushied her. It was part of his initiation when he got in to the football team.

_Rachel watched as Puck came up to her, with a cup of Big Gulp in hand. They stared at each other for a moment before Puck spoke._

" _I'm not doing it, Rach." Puck said, shaking his head. "This is stupid."_

" _Do it Noah. I'm used to it."_

" _No! I'm not throwing this stuff on you just because they told me to do it."_

" _Would you do it if I'm the one to tell you?"_

" _Are you out of your mind? I'm not doing it. I can't. I won't. You're my friend, Rach. I'm not going to humiliate you in front of the student body just so I can play football."_

" _But you love football, Noah."_

" _That's not important. You mean something more than just football."_

_Puck attempted to walk past Rachel but she surprised him when she nudged his hand holding the cup, causing the cold liquid to splash on her face._

" _What the fuck, Rach?!" Puck exclaimed as he look at his friend covered in red slushie. "Why did you do that?!"_

_Rachel only waved him off, grabbed her Slushie kit from her locker and walked towards the girl's locker room._

_Later that day, she threw a punch on Puck's face._

Rachel smiled at that. Puck felt so bad about it that he basically begged her to hit him. That day, they made an agreement. Puck would not hold back on her in school, and in return, she got to beat him. It was her idea.

Yeah. Weird friendship indeed.

But since he went up the social ladder and dated Santana, he had stopped bothering her as well. She was aware of his attempts to get a new target for the new players. It was slightly successful and she appreciated the gesture though he would never admit it.

And not only once did he try to talk to the trio during freshmen year to stop them from bullying her, but she told him not to get too involved. Things were so messy that time and she didn't want him to get caught up in the middle of it. She made him promise.

" _Why are you letting them do this to you, Rach?"_

" _Just let it go, Noah. Please promise me you will not saying anything to them," Rachel said, soft and yet firm. She cupped Puck's cheeks and made him look at her in the eye. "Promise me."_

_Puck stared at the pleading eyes in front of him, all his conviction deflating. He sighed in defeat and nodded. "Fine. But if things got out of hand, I'm stepping in."_

" _Thank you, Noah."_

Rachel's thoughts were interrupted when she heard the voice of Sue Sylvester telling her Cheerios to get the hell out of her field. She shook her head and looked at her watch. She was so lost in memory lane that she didn't notice the time. She almost forgot about her injured face as well. She placed a hand on her cheek, gauging the bruise and winced at how swollen it was.

She was about to get up when she noticed a scowling Finn approached Puck.

 


	4. Chapter 3B

"What the hell is your problem?!" Finn yelled as he pushed Puck on the chest.

"Dude! What are you talking about?!" Puck screamed back as he mirrored Finn's action and shoved him back.

"You know what! You've been up my ass all practice!"

Puck scrunched his face in disgust. "Sorry bro. I don't swing that way."

There were laughter on the field but it was cut short when Finn threw a punch on Puck's direction. The Mohawk boy stumbled in surprise, but recovered quickly and countered Finn with a punch of his own before tackling the tall boy to the ground. He straddled Finn's waist, throwing multiple punches on the quarterback. He successfully hit him three times before he was dragged away by his teammates.

"That's enough!" Coach Bieste's voice echoed in the field. "Hudson! Puckerman! Meet me in my office after shower." With that, Coach walked away followed by the football players.

After the meeting with Coach Bieste, Puck and Finn met with Sam at the parking lot, exchanging glares as they neared the blonde. The three stood in silence as they waited for their girlfriends.

Puck took a glance at the tall boy and smirked at his handiwork. "That's what you get for fucking with the Puckasaurus."

"I don't even know what you're talking about, man!"

"Stay away from Rachel dude! I'm warning you." Puck said firmly, pointing his index finger at Finn's chest. "Do I need to remind you how she kicked your ass during freshman year?"

Finn was silent for a while before his expression changed in to anger. "Why are you even defending her all of a sudden? You guys are not even friends!"

"I don't need to explain myself to you! Just stay the fuck away from her!"

"Hey guys! Chill!" Sam said as he stood in the middle of the two raging boys.

"Oh I see now," Finn scoffed, not backing down. "Is she one of your conquests now too? One of your whores? Was she better than Santana? Was she that good in bed tha-"

Finn was cut off with a fist connecting on his face. Again. Puck hit him so hard that he fell to the ground.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"What is going on here?" Quinn, followed by Brittany and Santana, demanded as they ran towards the school parking lot where Sam was holding a very furious Puck, and Finn lying on the ground, clutching his already badly bruised face.

"Fuck you Hudson! Fuck you! Don't you dare talk about Rachel like that! You don't know a fuck about her you fucking asshole!" Puck screamed in anger, completely ignoring the presence of the three Cheerios as he struggled against Sam's grip but the blonde only tightened his hold more.

Quinn assisted Finn in getting up. Santana and Brittany went to Puck to assist Sam calm the rampant boy down. However, the three girls stiffened at the mention of the diva's name.

"Hold up. You're fighting over Berry?" Santana asked with an unreadable expression on her face. But it went unnoticed by the boys.

"Yeah! Puck went defensive of her all of a sudden." Finn said, waving his arms frantically.

"He called Rachel a whore!" Puck defended.

"She is! She's nothing but a whoring dyke wh-"

Finn was interrupted by growl and once again found himself on the ground, Puck hovering above him. He shot his arms up, trying to protect his face from the incoming punch, but all Puck did was grab a fistful of his front shirt.

"Take it back you bastard!" Puck exclaimed angrily as he violently shook Finn.

"Puck! Get off him!" Quinn called out as she tried to grab Puck by the shoulder. Sam was beside her in a second, helping the blonde Cheerio tore the Mohawk away from Finn. He was followed by Santana and then Brittany. All of them struggled to keep Puck from accidentally killing the quarterback.

"Damn it Puckerman! Get a hold of yourself!"

"Come on man! Let him go!"

"Puck you're hurting him!"

"Noah! What are you doing?!"

Everybody stopped their movements when they heard a familiar voice that didn't belong to any of them. They looked up and saw the starlet standing in front of them.

"Rach?"

"Noah, unhand him this instant!"

To everyone's surprise, Puck released Finn without hesitation. He stood up quickly and strode towards Rachel.

"I don't believe you. The scene you caused at the football field wasn't enough, was it? What is wrong with you? Are you planning to get expelled by fighting in school grounds twice in one day? Not even an hour had passed, Noah! And it's just the second day of school!"

Instead of feeling sorry, Puck grimaced at the purple mark on Rachel's face. He glared at Finn who was now standing up. "Dude, look what you did to her!" He was about to attack Finn again but was firmly held by Rachel.

" _Noah_."

Puck looked at Rachel over his shoulder. She was giving him the look that he couldn't go against. They looked at each other for a moment, sending silent messages with their eyes. He took a deep breath and tilted his head down in resignation. Without saying a word, he walked towards his truck, glaring at Finn as he passed by the group. He opened the door of his vehicle, but before climbing in, he glanced at Rachel. "Put ice on that." With that, he drove off.

Everyone was silent for a moment, confused at the exchange that happened between the two Jews.

Rachel took a glance at the group standing not too far away from her. She didn't even hide the smirk that formed on her lips when she saw Finn's appearance. Puck surely gave justice to what the quarterback did to her. The pain on her cheek, though not originally from the football, was completely worth it.

"What are you looking at?" Finn scowled, but his injury only made his face look funny.

Rachel snorted, covering her mouth with her hand to keep herself from laughing out loud. She took a deep breath to calm herself. She stood straight, squared her shoulders, and flashed them her megawatt smile.

"You know what, Finn? If Puck can get to do that to you every time you throw a ball at me, I will willingly take the hit each time."

"Whatever."

Rachel only shook her head, her smile never fading and turned her heels, walking at the opposite direction of the group. She stopped after a few steps and looked over her shoulder. "By the way Finn, the next time I hear you calling me  _whore_  or any terms similar to that, it'll be me straddling you on the ground."

This time Rachel turned fully, making eye contact with the football player, her voice turning serious. "And believe me, you DON'T want that. You still remember what happened freshman year, right?"

Finn visibly cringed and took a small step back. Satisfied with the reaction she got, Rachel began to leave.

But being the idiot he was, Finn didn't back down just yet and called to Rachel's retreating back. "Yeah. And I'd say you got lucky."

Hearing that, Rachel stopped on her tracks, turned very slowly and narrowed her eyes at the tall boy. With few quick steps, she surprised the group when she ended up standing just a foot away from Finn.

Finn was taken aback at the sudden lack of distance between him and the diva. But sensing that the group was looking at them, he feigned a scowl, trying to be intimidating but failed miserably.

Quinn rolled her eyes and mentally facepalmed herself for her boyfriend's ridiculous attempt of fake bravery. Even someone miles away from them could see he'd rather be anywhere but here and his façade was slowly deflating at Rachel's unusual menacing stare.

Oh God...he was an embarrassment to her HBIC image. Even Brittany could pull off a scarier look than him.

From the corner of her eyes, she could see Santana wearing her trademark smirk, her eyes sparkling with mirth. Trust the Latina to find this kind of interaction entertaining. Brittany simply tilter her head on the side, one eyebrow raised and looking at Finn and Rachel in curiosity. But if you would look closer, there was also a soft glow in her blue eyes, denoting her excitement on the current situation.

Yep. Those two would always find it pleasurable to watch Finn make a fool of himself without anyone's help.

Rachel, on the other hand, was having an internal dilemma herself. When she decided to close the distance between her and Finn, she wasn't really thinking. She acted on impulse because, yeah. She thought it would be funny to see Finn cower away like that. And she would have laughed on his face if only she wasn't so distracted at the sweet scent that was currently invading her senses.

Due to a temporary relapse of judgment, it had somehow slipped her mind that Finn was being surrounded by Unholy Trinity, who she was sure, had just gotten out of the shower. And their sickeningly sweet scent was kind of turning her brain in to mush, preventing her from showing off her _cool_  side.

What was she supposed to do there again?

Oh yeah. Show Finn how awesome she was.

Mentally chastising herself, she focused her attention to the boy in front. Because, really. There was no way she would humiliate herself in front of this giant idiot.

With that in mind, she decided to approach the situation on a different route and put her game back on.

Rachel took another small step closer to the quarter back, her hands clasped on her back. She smiled  _sweetly_ , looked at him through her eyelashes and shifted from foot to foot.

"Would you like to find out how  _lucky_  I can get, Hudson?" Rachel asked, her voice sounding sweet and innocent, but her eyes were showing something else in them.

But of course, Finn was oblivious. He squint his eyes and looked at Rachel dumbly, confused at the sudden change of her approach.

Rachel shook her head and tilted her head down. When she looked up, the innocence was gone and was now replaced with a smug look. "On the second thought, I don't think your face can handle another black eye."

Santana snorted, Brittany covered her mouth to stifle a giggle and Quinn simply raised an eyebrow, her lips twisting up a little.

The diva didn't miss any of those reactions despite maintaining eye contact with the quarterback, and her smirk grew bigger. "I suppose we're going to have to postpone this," she said gesturing her index finger between her and Finn. "Whatever it is that you want to prove."

"You're the one who wants to prove something!"

Oh God. He just can't take a hint, can he?

Rachel's brow quirked. "Oh is that so? Who was it that just randomly threw a football on my face?" She pointed at her bruised face. "I don't usually hold grudges to other people or voiced out my hatred since that's not how I was raised by my fathers, but you," Rachel poked on Finn's chest with her index finger, "Finn Hudson, deserve whatever Puck did to you because you have been nothing but a jerk to me!"

With that, Rachel turned on her heels and walked away on her infamous diva storm out passion.

"Bitch." Finn mumbled under his breath. "Ow!"

He held the back of his head, where three hands made contact with it. "What was that for?"

He was met with silence as the three Cheerios walked towards Quinn's car, a silver Audi A7.

"Not cool man. I think you just pissed them off. Brittany didn't even kiss me goodbye." Sam whined.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel slumped at the bench near the parking lot, resting her head on the backrest. She just received a text from her Daddy. There was another emergency so he won't be able to pick her up at all.

 _Bummer_.

She momentarily closed her eyes, meaning to rest her body before she engaged herself on another long walk home. The events of the day were really exhausting. She was late for school, the awkward lunch with the trio, got slushied twice, getting hit with a football, keeping Puck from killing Finn (hesitantly), resisted on kicking Finn's ass (that took a lot of work), purposely ignoring the looks of concern from the girls when Puck emphasized her bruised cheek.

Just replaying everything in her mind was draining her remaining energy.

And her cheek was still sore. Her other injuries were beginning to hurt as well. She hadn't taken any medication the whole day. Oh, and she was hungry too.

God…this day couldn't get any worse.

"Hey dyke!"

Oh my God! What is this?  _Piss-Rachel-off_  day? For a loser, she sure was not invisible.

And for some reason, she seemed to be attracting all the wrong people.

Rachel didn't have the energy to look up so she kept her eyes closed. Suddenly, she heard screeching tires, a loud honking then a car door closing. She fluttered her eyes open and stood straight when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey Karofsky! Shouldn't you be somewhere else? Get the hell outta my face! You guys make me sick!"

Rachel stared at the fiery Latina as she shooed Karofsky and Azimio away, who scattered in fear to be  _somewhere else_. Her shoulders tensed when her eyes met with the brunette Cheerio, but relaxed when she noticed the absence of ferocity in it.

"Hobbit."

"Santana."

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"Finnessa is such a douchebag. Remind me again why you're still with that fetus face?"

"Prom," Quinn deadpanned as she climbed in to the driver's seat.

Santana rolled her eyes, getting in the car as well, situating herself on the passenger seat while Brittany took the back seat.

"It has got to suck to be you right now."

"Thank you, Santana. I really needed to hear that," Quinn said sarcastically as she started the engine.

"Anytime, Q."

"Guys, will you stop bickering please?"

The two Cheerios kept quiet and glanced at their third member, silently apologizing to the tall blonde.

"San, remind me to thank Puck tomorrow. If you and Q didn't hold me back, I would crush Finn's face myself the moment that ball made contact with Rae's skin."

Santana only nodded while Quinn busied herself getting the car out of the parking space.

The two Cheerios recognized that tone. It was the _I'm-so-pissed-off-right-now_ tone and anyone who knew Brittany so well would back off. When her face turned calm, her voice quiet and serious and begin to talk like an adult, it was a sign. Brittany wasn't playing around anymore and it's best to get out of the way.

The blue eyed Cheerio rarely showed it, and so far, only Santana, Quinn and Rachel had seen it with the exception of her family. She had always been cheerful and very patient. Not even people calling her dumb upset her anymore.

Because she knew that she was far from being a dumb blonde. If only they knew who Brittany Pierce really was.

"I wanted to punch him myself when he called Rachel a whore. Seriously. Why did you stop me, San? We should have let Puck strangle him."

"B, you don't want Puck to rot in jail, right? No matter how much of an ass Tubs is, he is just not worth the trouble. And he is not worth getting kicked out of Cheerios despite the fact that you'd probably be doing everyone a favor by kicking his ass."

"Besides, it was Rachel who stopped Puck." Quinn added. "Effortlessly by the way."

"Well, they've always had each other's back since we were little."

"Oh I remember. You have always been jealous about it, S."

"Like you weren't, Q," Santana playfully countered as the three of them shared the smiles that were only reserved to each other, even to a certain diva.

"Look, its Rachel," Quinn informed her other two companions after a pause, pointing at the direction of the parking lot.

"Yeah. And that's David and Azimio walking towards her," Santana stated in a bored tone. "Those guys just can't give Berry a break."

"San."

"Yeah, yeah. I got this, B."

Quinn stepped on the breaks and honked to get the two boys' attention. Santana climbed out of the passenger's seat, switching to her bitch mode and approached the dumbfounded football players with ferocity.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"What are you still doing here, Berry?"

Rachel shrugged. "I thought I could rest for a while before going home."

Santana arched her brow. "There's no Glee today. Shouldn't you be home by now?"

"Yeah. But Daddy said he's going to be late picking me up so I waited for him. Then he called a while ago telling me that he couldn't make it because there was an emergency so I have to walk home."

The taller brunette was silent for a moment as if debating internally with herself, and then looked around the parking lot before returning her eyes to the small brunette. "We can give you a ride."

Rachel's eyebrow went up to her hairline in surprise. She tilted her body sideways to steal a glance at the car behind the Latina which she recognized as Quinn's.

Sweet ride.

She was yet to experience riding Quinn's car. From what she heard, the Head Cheerio got it on her 16th birthday. She remembered going to the house of the Fabray's that day to give Quinn her present. She was surprised when she saw a lot of cars parked outside the mansion, and music coming from inside the house. She realized that they were having a party, a party that the blonde seemed to have forgotten to invite her to.

Rachel shook her head. She was already having too much that day. She didn't need a trip back to memory lane.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Rachel blinked and her eyes went wide when Santana leaned down, meeting the girl's unusually soft gaze. Their faces were only a few inches apart. She could feel the intensity from the Latina's eyes, causing her cheeks to burn.

"I-I'm fine."

Santana was silent for a moment, before standing on her full height. Rachel released the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"Come on. Let's go."

Rachel was lost. Go where?

"We're giving you a ride." Santana said as if reading her mind, then began to walk towards the waiting car. She half turned to Rachel who was yet to move from her sitting position. "And I'm not taking no for an answer."

With that, Santana strode to the car, claiming her seat beside Quinn.

Rachel followed reluctantly, clenching her fist tightly as she reached out for the door. She jumped in surprise when it suddenly opened, revealing a beaming Brittany. Her lips quirked a little with the sight. The blonde's contagious cheerfulness was getting the best of her and she relaxed a little as she went in the car.

_Just a little._

"Hi Rachel!" The cheery blonde greeted her.

"Hello Brittany. How are you today?" Rachel greeted then gave Quinn a quick nod and a timid smile.

"I'm great!" Brittany squealed. "Quinn gave Daphne and Jessica extra laps during practice."

Rachel allowed herself a real smile, amused that the girl beside her was practically bouncing on her seat. She squinch her brows together when she heard what the tall blonde said. "Who?"

"The freshmen."

Rachel pursed her lips and looked up the car's ceiling, trying to remember if she was supposed to know those Cheerios. But her head snapped back to the tall Cheerio when she heard her giggle.

"What so funny?"

"You have your thinking face on." Brittany said with an amused smile.

There goes the thinking face again.

The small brunette scoffed, crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip. "I do not have a thinking face."

Her reaction earned a delightful laugh from the tall blonde. She could see Quinn having a cheeky grin from the corner of her eyes. And from the side mirror, she noticed the Latina smirking.

And her heart went wild on her chest.

She swore. One of these days, these girls were going to give her a heart attack.

"Anyway, Daphne and Jessica were the freshmen from lunch today."

Rachel was silent for a moment then there was click on her head. "Oh.  _Them_."

Wow. Her brain probably flew out of her head when the football hit her. It seemed to not be functioning so well.

Maybe because she was just tired? Yeah. That's probably it.

She was certain it wasn't because of the three gorgeous girls sitting in the car with her right now. And these said girls weren't causing her to feel claustrophobic and conscious all of a sudden.

Rachel dared a quick glance around the car. At every corner her eyes zeroed on, she was met with different pairs of eyes. A blue on her side, a green on the rear view mirror and a brown on the side mirror. She could feel all her blood rose up to her face and she unconsciously played with the hem of her sweater.

' _I think my heart just burst out of my chest and jumped out the window.'_

"That looks really nasty."

Rachel jumped in surprised and snapped her head on the girl beside her. She wasn't really sure what the tall blonde just said but she was looking at her. So she's probably talking to her, right?

"I didn't know Finn could throw that hard."

 _Oh!_ Her bruise.

Rachel unconsciously raised a hand on the side of her face, and then she realized what Brittany said. She scoffed and crossed her arms, her attitude coming back with the mention of the golden boy's name. "As if."

"Yeah? Is that why almost half of your face had just turned purple? Or you just overdid your makeup that there was nothing left for the other side of your cheek?"

Rachel scrunched her face and looked at Santana who was now looking at her from the front seat. "Who uses purple blush on?"

"You, apparently. Unless that bruise tells another story." Santana paused for a moment, looked up in thought then fixed her eyes to the small girl at the back.

Rachel backed slightly; surprised at the intense gaze the brunette Cheerio was giving her. It was as if she was studying Rachel's face. She shifted from her seat when Santana's last statement hit her. And now she was receiving that look. She could see the gears turning in the Latina's head.

"Umm..."

"You know come to think of it, even a football can't do that much damage."

"O-oh...well..."

Rachel swallowed the lump on her throat. She was never good at lying and Santana scrutinizing her didn't help relax her pounding heart. Her eyes landed on the rear view mirror and regretted it when she noticed Quinn giving her the same look, her green eyes moving back and forth from the road to her. She didn't have to look at her left side to know that Brittany was staring at her as well.

_Why does it feel so hot in here all of a sudden?_

Rachel cleared her throat. "I'm really sensitive. I bruise easily." The diva smiled, mentally patting her back for not stuttering.

"But I don't remember you being that way."

Damn!

"You were so active when we were little and you tend to move so much you hurt yourself all the time, bumping to a lot of things," Brittany continued, pursing her lips in thought.

"And you don't bruise that much." Quinn added.

"And not so easily." Santana supported.

Rachel was flabbergasted. Were they ganging up on her?

Oh yeah. They all grew up together. Of course they know her well.

"I...fell off the bed this morning." Rachel congratulated herself for thinking so quickly. "I was running late and I was in a hurry to get out of bed. The covers got tangled around my legs and I fell and I hit the floor  _really hard_." Rachel finished her  _lie of the century_ , nodding her head as if trying to convince herself as well.

"You know how clumsy I can get." Rachel chuckled nervously.

"No you're not. I'm the clumsy one." Brittany countered, her frown deepening.

Fuck.

It's been two years and these three girls could still see through her. How was that fair?

"I wasn't? I mean...I wasn't  _then_. I am  _now_. Like, really clumsy."

Rachel kept it at that. She didn't mean to make it sound like she was giving it a double meaning. But from the faces of the occupants of that car, they seemed to have caught it.

There was a long moment of silence before Santana's voice broke it.

"You know, you were never a good liar, Rae."

How could that one short sentence made Rachel want to burst out in tears? Seriously. She never thought she could hear Santana talk to her that way ever again. So much sincerity in it.

Rachel took a deep breath and stared out the window. "I know."

Again, the car was engulfed in complete silence. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

That knife came in the form of the song "I Wanna Sex You Up."

It wasn't until the first lyrics of the song was heard that Rachel realized that it was her phone ringing. She literally facepalmed herself.

"Fuck!"

The unusual use of bad language from Rachel's lips didn't go unnoticed by the trio. Santana and Quinn arched an eyebrow while Brittany frowned.

Rachel fumbled on the contents of her bag to find her phone.

"Noah! You imbecile!" Rachel exclaimed, actually stomping her foot on the car floor. I mean, really. When did he get to have access to her phone?

The two girls at the front shared a look when they heard who Rachel's caller was, while Brittany narrowed her eyes.

"What are you doing  _in_ my house? How did you get in?" Rachel asked as her body straightened.

"I'm on my way..."

"No they won't be home until later..."

"What?!"

"Are you in my room?"

"Get out of my room you interloper! Right now!"

Rachel pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried not to clam herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Noah Puckerman. I will be home in less than five minutes. And when I get home, you better make sure I do NOT see you in my room. Especially NOT on my bed you numbskull! Or better yet, I don't even want to see you anywhere near our house! You got that?"

Rachel ended the call, threw her phone in her bag and rubbed her temples. Only Noah could make her feel so loved in one moment and then annoy the hell out of her on another in just a span of hours.

But then again, it was a welcomed distraction because the tension in the car was suffocating her.

"Puck is in your house?"

"What is he doing there?"

"How did he get in?"

Rachel snapped her head to the girls as they bombarded her with questions.

"You let Puckerman in your room? And on your bed?"

The last question from the Latina hung in the air. The awkward silence was back.

"Umm...Puck knows where we hide the spare key. He said he was worried about me so he just let himself in. He thought I was already home. He went to my room to check on me," Rachel answered, struggling how to answer the question as to not aggravate the Latina. She knew how possessive she could be of Puck and from the annoyed tone in her voice, she was pretty sure the brunette Cheerio was jealous.

"He's always been in and out of the house since…ever." Rachel shrugged.

"Is there something going on between you and Puck? Because from what I saw today, he seemed to be really  _very_   _protective_  of you. He practically beat the shit out of his own best friend."

"Santana." Brittany chastised the other Cheerio.

"It's alright, Britt," Rachel said, holding up a hand. Thank God she's almost home. Things seemed to get more and more uncomfortable between the four of them.

"Santana, you  _know_ it's impossible for me to have feelings for Noah. You know  _why_. And I am certain I am also speaking on his behalf. Can't someone be protective of me because we're  _friends_? Does it always have to mean something?" Rachel paused for a moment to gather her thoughts.

"I respect what you and Noah has, Santana. If you believe otherwise, then you think so less of me. Noah is like a brother to me. He always has been and he will always be."

The car finally halted at front of the Berry residence. And as promised, Puck's truck was gone.

Rachel couldn't wait to get out of the car. She opened the door but before going out, she stopped herself, her face looking torn while chewing on her bottom lip. She then glanced up at the trio who were now avoiding her gaze.

"You know? If I wasn't gay, maybe I would have been with Noah. At least he isn't embarrassed to show he cares. Thank you for the ride."

With that, Rachel climbed out of the car without looking back.

"Possessive much?"

"Shut up, Q."

"I think the better question is, of who?"

Santana didn't answer Brittany's question but she looked out the window and saw Rachel went inside the house.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important Note: Just some keynotes. This chapter will revolve around the Unholy Trinity. Since I don't like to keep saying 'Quinn said blah blah' or 'Santana said blah blah', I gave them nicknames so you know who's talking to whom.
> 
> Quinn
> 
> Santana calls her Q. Brittany calls her Quinn.
> 
> Santana
> 
> Quinn calls her S. Brittany calls her San.
> 
> Brittany
> 
> Santana calls her B. Quinn calls her Britt/baby.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

 

After dropping off Rachel, the trio decided to go to Quinn's house. The rest of the ride went silent, all of them wearing dark expressions on their faces.

Once they arrived at the Fabray mansion, they went straight to the blonde's room. Santana grabbed a magazine, lazily flipping its pages as she slouched on the sofa. Brittany positioned herself on the bed, her arms and legs sprawled across the mattress. Quinn sat on her computer chair, switched on her laptop and waited for it to boot as she patiently tapped her fingers on the table.

None of them had said a word yet; the only noise in the room was the ticking of the wall clock and the flipping of the magazine. They were all lost in their own thoughts.

Quinn dabbled on the keys of her laptop in an attempt to occupy herself. She opened her Facebook page, ignoring all the posts on her wall and clicked on her friends list. She had too many friends, most of them she didn't really know. Since she became the head bitch, she received a lot of requests from people she had yet to meet. And she was already on her third year in high school. Some of the other requests, she completely ignored because it was taking time to accept every single one of them.

She clicked on the search bar and typed 'Rachel Berry'.

She was never really an avid user of the said social site. The excitement of seeing a lot of people interested in her faded after a few months of her rising popularity, and now, all she could feel about it was annoyance. And she had lost count of how many people she had blocked, including one Jacob Ben Israel.

She had always believed that this site was for either gossipers or stalkers. But she was never a fan of gossips.

And that was the reason why, just recently, she had found herself a new hobby.

Stalking Rachel Berry.

Like it wasn't bad enough that she had been obsessed with the diva's myspace videos since freshman year. She swore whatever mean things she said there, it was quite the opposite of what she really wanted to say. And as soon as she was assigned as the new Head Cheerio, she wasted no time to delete every single one of them.

Though she didn't make a comment on how amazing the starlet was either.

God. She was such a hypocrite. And she despised it. But the pressure of being the HBIC had always gotten the best of her.

Quinn sighed as she hover the mouse on the diva's name and clicked it. The page opened and she was greeted with a smiling brunette staring back at her. It was Rachel's page cover. The smile that spread on Quinn's lips was automatic, a genuine smile that was rarely seen in her. And she didn't even try to fight it.

Two years...and those chocolate eyes were still as kind and sincere as she could remember it to be.

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

" _Lucy Caboosey! Lucy Caboosey!"_

_Lucy was kneeling on the floor as she struggled to find her glasses that fell off when the other children purposely bumped in to her, her books flew to the ground as well. Her eyes began to blur as unshed tears formed in her eyes. When she was finally able to get a hold of her glasses, she felt somebody kicked it away from her._

_She whimpered, squinting her eyes to search where her spectacles went. She tried to gather her fallen books around her as the other kids continued to tease her._

" _You're so fat and ugly!"_

" _Loser!"_

" _She's so dorky!"_

" _You are so ugly that when your mama dropped you off at school she got a fine for littering."_

_Lucy's lips trembled, trying so hard not to cry. Because she knew that if she did, she would give them more reasons to tease her. She took a deep breath. She was struggling to get her books from the floor but the kids kept kicking them away from her when she tried to grasp it, just like what they did to her glasses._

_She felt so sorry for herself._

_She wanted to cry so badly._

_She wanted to be away from all of them._

_She wanted to run away._

_But how? She couldn't even see!_

_Lucy was about to breakdown when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped a little and looked up. She was surprised when she felt her glasses pressed on her nose, her vision getting clear._

" _Rachel."_

_Rachel gave her a gentle smile and then winked, causing a blush to form on Lucy's face._

" _Aww…look at that. The freak came to rescue the ugly," one of the boy teased._

_Lucy observed as the smile on Rachel's lips transformed in to a frown and then stood up, her hands on her hips as she faced the kids bullying Lucy._

" _Shut up! If Lucy is ugly then what do you call yourself?!" Rachel yelled back, as loud as her tiny voice could._

" _Shut up!"_

" _No! You shut up you dimwit!"_

" _What did you call me?"_

_The boy, who seemed to be the leader of the three boys, stepped towards Rachel; their bodies were only inches apart as they size each other up._

_Lucy frowned as she observed the obvious height advantage of the boy from her friend. But she didn't even see Rachel flinched or cower away. Instead, the small girl returned the same glare, if not more, that the boy was giving her._

" _You heard me."_

" _Oh yeah? You think you can take me, huh?"_

" _Definitely. You don't scare me,_ _ **dimwit**_ _."_

_Lucy watched as the boy shoved Rachel back, causing her to hit the wall. She could see the small brunette's back bounced from the impact. She reached for her friend in panic but before she could get a hold of her, Rachel was already rushing to the boy, placing her small hands on his chest as she pushed the boy back with all her might._

_The boy stumbled and fell on his butt in surprise. Laughter echoed on the hallways._

_Lucy was grinning from ear to ear as she stared at her savior in awe. Her heart swelled with pride._

_She's amazing._

_But Lucy's happiness was cut short when she heard a growl coming from the boy. Everything happened so fast. The next thing she knew, Rachel was already on the ground, clutching her bleeding lips. Lucy gasped and ran towards her friend who seemed to be in shock as well._

_The hallway went silent as the students gather around to see what the commotion was about._

_Where are the teachers when you needed them?_

" _Oh my God! Rachel, are you okay?" Lucy helped Rachel to her feet._

_Once they were up, Lucy studied Rachel's expression as the girl removed her hand from her lips. Rachel's eyes went wide in surprise when she saw blood and then narrowed in anger; her chest violently rising up and down as she glared at her attacker._

" _You idiot!"_

_Lucy was quick enough to grab the smaller girl's waist as she attempted to lunge on the boy who seemed to be surprised at Rachel's sudden outburst._

" _Let me go, Lucy! I'm going to make him regret he was ever born!"_

_The boys laughed, looking pathetically at the two girls._

" _Yeah, Caboosey. Let teenie weeinie go. I'm sure I could use some tickling."_

" _Don't call her that you good for nothing dodo!"_

" _Rachel, stop it! Please."_

" _But Lucy!"_

" _Please." Lucy gently whispered, burying her face on Rachel's hair. "It's not worth it Rae. Just let it go."_

_Lucy felt the girl in her arms relaxed and her hold loosened, but still kept her arms wrapped around the brunette's waist._

_Rachel sighed. "Fine."_

_She smiled and placed a gentle kiss on the back of Rachel's head. It was quick and so light that it went unnoticed by the people around. But she knew Rachel felt it and that's all that matters._

_The girl in her arms turned to face her and they looked at each other for a moment, their eyes silently sending unspoken words to each other._

_Lucy winced as she traced Rachel's bruised lips with her thumb. "Let's go put ice on that, okay?"_

_Rachel beamed but then grimaced in pain, touching her lips. "Eh. That hurts."_

_Lucy chuckled as she led her friend towards the clinic, completely ignoring everyone around them because she was just so happy for having Rachel Berry in her life._

 

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

" _Lucy?"_

_Lucy quickly wiped away her tears when she heard the familiar voice. She was on the school's playground, sitting on one of the swings, her back turned to her friend._

" _Rachel," she frowned at how her voice trembled despite her efforts to stay calm._

_She heard footsteps coming towards her but she didn't turn around. She was startled when she felt the swing being pushed from behind her, but soon relaxed._

_They were silent for a moment; both seemed to be lost in thought until Lucy finally found her voice._

" _I'm so ugly. Why do you want to be friends with me?"_

_Lucy gasped as she almost fell from the swing when it stopped abruptly. She turned to look and realized that Rachel halted the swing. She could see Rachel's grip on the chain was so tight that it was shaking._

" _Rae?"_

" _Who told you that?"_

_She was surprised with the unusual coldness in the smaller girl's voice._

" _I-I…"_

_" **Who told you that?** "_

_Lucy stared at the girl over her shoulders, her sad green eyes meeting with intense chocolate ones. She shivered. It was as if those eyes were penetrating through her soul._

_And then it relaxed. Softened._

_She watched as Rachel kneeled in front of her, their eyes fixed with each other. She felt one of Rachel's tiny hands on her lap, while her other hand found a place on the side of her cheek. They held their gaze for a moment, taking in each other's presence, welcoming the silence that surround them as if they were the only people in the world._

" _Lucy."_

_She felt her stomach tightened and her heart pounded because of the passion she felt from that one word. She was almost in tears._

" _Lucy...listen to me," Rachel started as she tuck a lose strand of her behind Lucy's ear before returning to hold the girl's cheek._

" _You_ _ **are**_ _beautiful. You are one of the most beautiful creatures I've ever met. Inside and out. Don't let them make you think otherwise. If they can't see how beautiful you are now, then they are not worth it."_

_This time Lucy sobbed as Rachel continued._

" _And you have no idea how lucky I feel for knowing someone like you, Lucy. I will never have second thoughts for being your friend._ _ **Never**_ _. And so does Santana and Brittany. Do you hear me?"_

_Lucy can only manage to nod as she tried not to cry so hard._

" _I will forever be here for you, Lucy. I promise you that. I will beat up every person that will try to hurt you and I will make sure they-"_

" _-will regret being born." Lucy chortled despite the tears that just kept flowing from her eyes._

" _Yes. Exactly." Rachel smiled and winked, causing Lucy to laugh._

" _You have the sweetest smile, Lucy. And a wonderful laugh."_

_Lucy felt her cheeks burn as she looked down bashfully._

" _Someday, those people will regret not knowing you at all," Rachel continued as she lift Lucy's chin to look at her. "And they will all die of jealousy because I can get to be so close to one Lucy Quinn Fabray."_

_With that, Lucy laughed with all her heart while Rachel watched her with a grin on her face._

_She leaned down and her forehead met with Rachel's as they share another comfortable silence, contented with just looking at each other, smiles flashed on their faces._

" _I love you, Lucy."_

" _I love you too, Rae."_

_And that moment, Lucy made a promise to herself. She will make those people regret not knowing her._

_And that she will forever love this amazing girl._

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Brittany continued to stare at the ceiling of Quinn's bedroom. She was aware of the tension that was surrounding the room but she paid no heed to it. It wasn't that uncomfortable and she knew they needed time before they could face the inevitable issue that had been bothering them since summer of this year.

Everything that happened that day was not what she was expecting. It all started so well but ended in a disaster. Don't get her started with their lunch break with Rachel. Or the lack of.

And as usual, she didn't even try to stop the two Cheerios from attacking Rachel.

Granted. She didn't see it coming since they have already talked about it. But still, it was no excuse. She couldn't understand how she could defend Rachel and then NOT defend her in different situations. If that made sense.

She felt so useless. Damn it.

The silence around them, though a little awkward, was welcoming. It offered them a chance to think, to reflect on the day's events. Rachel's words cut through her heart. She was pretty sure that the other two occupants of that room felt the same way she did.

And though they deserved it, it still hurt to actually hear them coming from the small brunette's lips. For two years...this was the first time Rachel said something about their ruined friendship. Although it was just hinted bits, the words that the starlet said hit them hard.

Really hard.

And the tension from Rachel's place until they got to the Fabray residence was enough to indicate how much those words affected them.

She had wanted to cry the moment those words reached her ears. She had always been a cry baby. But Rachel...

Rachel changed her. She made her see all the good in her. The brunette made her feel special and important. And ever since that day, she had rarely cried. Every time someone would try to hurt her, Rachel's words would echo in her mind and it would always make her feel better. And she would just find herself smiling again.

And then there's Lord Tubbington. It felt nostalgic to look at him.

Other than seeing Rachel every day, he was the only reminder she had of how they used to be…

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

_Brittany's shoulders shook as she sobbed while sitting against a tree with her knees on her chest. She felt another body sat beside her and she tilted her head to take a quick look beside her._

" _Rachel?"_

" _Britt. Why are you crying? What's wrong?"_

_The blonde felt a hand on her shoulder and stared at the wide chocolate eyes showing worry and concern. The gentle tiny voice somehow offered her comfort that she stopped crying altogether._

" _R-Remember Skittles?"_

_Rachel nodded, urging the blonde to continue._

" _W-well, h-h-he d-died this m-morning..."_

" _Oh Britt..."_

" _H-he got hit by a c-car. D-dad buried him on the b-backyard and it was all so s-sad that I-I j-just..." Brittany sniffed, her lips trembling as another wave of tears sprung for her already puffy red eyes. She flung herself against Rachel and cried on the crook of her neck._

" _Sshh...it's going to be okay Britt. I'm sure Skittles is in a happy place. He's probably watching over you right now and he doesn't want you being sad," Rachel soothed the blonde girl as she rubbed circles on her back._

" _I know that, Rae...But I just miss him so much and I just feel like it's all my fault," Brittany spoke while her face was still hidden on Rachel's neck. "I should have looked out for him."_

" _I'm sure Skittles misses you too, Britt. It's not your fault and Skittles will never blame you because you've been such a good friend to him and you took really good care of him."_

" _R-really?"_

_Rachel felt her heart drop for the vulnerable girl and how sweet and innocent she was being._

" _Yes, Brittany. Really. Now stop moping around. You know how Skittles doesn't like it when you cry."_

_The tall blonde leaned back and stared at the girl in front of her. She felt the warmth surge through her body as she got lost on the brown eyes staring back at her. There was so much honesty and sincerity in it that made her feel so much better. And she knew, everything was going to be alright because she has Rachel Berry beside her._

" _Thank you, Rae. You always know what to say."_

" _Of course. I'm amazing like that," Rachel answered with a beaming smile and winked at the blonde._

" _That you are." Brittany giggled and gave her friend a bone crushing hug._

_-1 week later-_

" _Oh my God!"_

_Brittany covered her mouth in surprise, as she stared wide-eyed at the sleeping small fur wrapped around Rachel's arms._

" _Hey to you too, Britt," Rachel grinned from ear to ear as she observed the blonde's reaction._

" _Oh my God!"_

_Rachel laughed at her friend's antics. She watched as Brittany played with the fur with her index finger, gently caressing the cat's forehead._

" _She's so cute. Can I hold her?"_

" _Yes, Britt. You can hold_ _ **him**_ _," Rachel said as she passed the sleeping feline towards the tall girl's arms._

" _Awww...he's so cute," Brittany cooed, as she cradled him like a baby._

" _So, what are you naming him?" Rachel asked, her smile widens when Brittany's eyes almost bugged out of the sockets._

" _Me?"_

" _You're naming him 'Me'?_

" _No!" Brittany laughed and shook her head. "I mean…you want me to name him?"_

" _Of course. He's_ _ **yours**_ _. I guess it's only app-"_

_Brittany interrupted the girl with a one armed bone crushing hug as she held the cat on her other arm. She released the small brunette and looked at her in the eyes. Her own blue eyes burning from unshed tears._

" _Thank you, Rae."_

" _Anything to see you all cheery, Britt. Because I can't call you Brittany if you sulk around so much. It's just not you."_

_Brittany bit her lip to prevent herself from jumping on to the brunette due to excessive excitement. Too much energy flew through her body that she couldn't help but be bouncy. Her cheeks were already hurting from smiling so much but she couldn't stop._

_Instead, she settled by stepping towards Rachel, closing the distance between them. She leaned forward and planted a kiss on the brunette's cheek, consciously lingering her lips longer that she's supposed to. Her heart fluttered when she felt the brunette leaned on to the kiss, making her lips plant harder to her cheek._

_Then Brittany bended a bit more._

" _Thank you," Brittany whispered, her lips almost brushing Rachel's ears. She could feel the brunette visibly shiver and she smirked before placing a ghostly kiss on the brunette's lobe._

" _So, what are you going to name him?"_

" _Lord Tubbington."_

 

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

" _Wow, you're really dumber than you look."_

_Brittany looked down, her lips tremble as she took in the words that were reaching her ears. She didn't want to hear them. It was hurting her so much. She covered her ears to muffle their words and sat down in the middle of the playground._

_But she could still hear them no matter what._

_She sobbed, letting the tears fall freely on her cheeks._

_She wanted them to stop but there were too many of them._

" _Think of happy thoughts. Unicorn. Rainbow. Cats. Santana. Lucy. Rachel."_

_Brittany chanted over and over again, hugging her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth._

_She could hear laughter around her. She knew they were laughing at her. Who else would they be making fun of? That's all she was worth after all. A sorry excuse for an entertainment._

" _What is she doing?"_

" _She's so weird."_

" _Pfft. What a retard."_

_Brittany cried harder. She didn't like it when they call her the "R" word. It was...painful to hear. It made her feel worthless. That's what retarded people were right?_

" _Hey! Don't call Britt that!"_

_Brittany snapped her eyes open and turned her head towards the direction of the voice. Suddenly, her heart was filled with relief as she stared at the girl almost running towards her, scowling at her tormenters. But then the chocolate eyes softened when it zeroed on her._

_Then she saw her winked at her and offered a comforting smile, before turning at the group of boys taunting her, the scowl back on her face._

_From that moment, she knew everything's going to be alright because her knight in shining armor came for her._

_She watched as the brunette stood with head high, her hands on her hips and though the blonde couldn't see it, she knew Rachel was staring daggers at the other kids._

" _I'm warning you! Stop bothering Brittany and don't call her the 'R' word! It's mean!" Rachel exclaimed, stomping her foot and crossing her arms._

"' _R' word? Oh you mean,_ _ **retard**_ _."_

" _Stop."_

_Brittany stood up, shifting from foot to foot as she watched the interaction between Rachel and their classmates. She was beginning to feel anxious. She has a bad feeling things won't end so well and she was worried about the brunette's safety._

" _R-Rae..." Brittany called softly, but the small girl didn't hear her. Her heart thudded against her heart, her nervousness increasing at every minute they were there. She watched as Rachel clenched and unclenched her fists. And the coldness from the brunette's voice made her tremble._

" _ **Retard**_ _."_

_The tall girl reached for Rachel, her shaking hand making contact with the small girl's shoulders. She frowned at how tense Rachel was. She closed the distance between them and leaned on Rachel's ear._

" _Rachel...Come on. Let's go. I'm okay now. What matters is that you're here."_

_Brittany smiled when she felt Rachel relaxed from her touch. She lowered her hands, traveling across the brunette's arms until it reached her hands and intertwined them before gently tugging her to make their leave._

" _Yeah. You better go. Only a freak would want to be friends with a retard."_

_And with that, Brittany felt the hand on hers disappear. She watched in horror as Rachel flung herself forward to one of the boys and tackled him to the ground._

_Rachel straddled the larger boy and grabbed a fistful of his front shirt._

" _Take that back you piece of crap! You have no right to call Brittany that! You don't know shit about her!"_

" _Rachel! No!"_

_Brittany rushed to her friend, but before she got there, Rachel was knocked out by one of the other boys and she fell to the ground. She watched horrified as a punch was thrown on Rachel's face._

_And Brittany saw red._

_She lunged herself forward, grabbed the boy that was now straddling Rachel and threw him to the ground with a strength she didn't know she had. The boy landed on his butt and stared at the blonde in shock._

_Brittany sat beside her friend lying on the ground, checking on the extent of the injuries with worried eyes. "Rachel! Oh no. You're hurt!"_

" _I'm fine, Britt."_

" _You're hurt," the blonde pouted as she gently traced the other girl's face with her hand._

" _Yeah. Well, you saved me. My hero." Rachel said, dramatically clutching her hands to her chest._

_Brittany giggled despite of the situation and Rachel beamed, ignoring the pain from her bruised cheek. They shared a content smile and to the brunette's surprise, Brittany laid down next to her, their hand intertwining as they looked up the sky. They didn't even notice their bullies already left the vicinity._

_They shared a moment of silence, simply enjoying each other's company as they watched the clouds move in the sky._

_Brittany sighed. "You didn't have to do that, you know?"_

" _What do you mean, Britt?"_

" _You know...defend me like that. It's true, anyway."_

_The blonde closed her eyes, trying to control the tears that were threatening to form in her eyes. She was tired of crying. She gasped and opened her eyes when she felt a warm palm grasped her cheek, making her turn sideways and their eyes met._

" _Britt. We both know that's_ _ **not**_ _true. Don't listen to those people. They don't know you the way I do, so listen to_ _ **me**_ _. And believe me when I say that you can be everything but never stupid. You're an amazing person. You're sweet and you're cheerfulness can lighten up a whole room. And you have a kind heart. There are so many good things about you, B."_

_The moment she saw the sincerity in those brown eyes, she couldn't hold back her tears anymore._

" _So, don't let them step on you like that. They are just mean to you because they don't understand you. But that doesn't make you stupid. You're a smart girl, B. More than anyone give you credit for. And you are special. And I am_ _ **very**_ _proud of you."_

_She let Rachel wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks. But more came and it seemed to be never ending. That's alright though, because this time, they weren't caused by the pain in her heart. It was now because of the tremendous feeling of happiness flowing through her whole body._

_And it was all because of this amazing girl lying down beside her._

" _I love you, Rae."_

" _I love you too, Britt. And promise me, you will never let those people bring you down or upset you because you are way better than any of them. And that you will always wear a smile because that smile of yours can make people forget their problems."_

_She smiled and stared at the brunette lovingly. "I promise."_

_But that wasn't the only promise she made that day._

_Brittany will be that person Rachel believed her to be. And she will make her proud._

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Santana continued to flip the pages of her fifth magazine within the last fifteen minutes. She wasn't really looking at it. She just wanted an excuse to do something instead of looking like an idiot, staring blankly in the room. The two blondes seemed to be busy themselves, though she was certain Brittany was doing the same thing she opted not to do.

Not that Brittany was looking like an idiot right now.

It was really exasperating what they were going through right now. The things that they had been through last year weren't a joke either. She thought everything was finally going smooth again, especially after the huge change in their relationship. A change that had turned their worlds upside down.

And they were finally comfortable with themselves and their newfound relationship. They were contented at keeping their secret...well, a secret. And being the top bitches, the never had a problem hiding their relationship.

Finally. The three of them were happy.

That was until Rachel Berry happened.

Rachel was the only person who had kept her grounded. She had this effect on her that seemed to calm her no matter how angry she was in the world. Although Quinn and Brittany could keep her composed, it was still different when it came to the small brunette.

She may not admit it to anyone, but Rachel was the only one who had the ability to control her feelings. To control her anger. To keep her calm. She felt safe with her. She didn't have to act tough when Rachel was around. It was different from Quinn and Brittany.

And when Santana lost the starlet, she went back to her usual self. She became guarded, protective of her herself, and her two blondes. She became more vicious and violent because that was the only way she knew she could protect them. She was back to being angry to the world.

Her rock was gone.

And just when she finally learned to let go of the diva, to embrace the fact that she was already gone in their lives...

Just as she was beginning to adjust her new life with the blondes...

Just when she finally accepted that during the peak of their popularity, she had lost herself...and in turn, she had lost one important person in her life.

 _This_ just had to happen.

Rachel fucking Berry.

She was back in her life...in  _their_  lives.

Fuck!

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

" _Santana! I will never understand why you just love to randomly pick fights with kids who are twice your size!_ _ **Twice**_ _!" Rachel exclaimed as she pressed ice pack on her friend's swollen face._

_Santana slapped the smaller girl's hand away. "Stop it! It hurts!"_

" _Good! It's supposed to hurt so you'll learn not to engage yourself to another fight!"_

" _Shut up! You can't tell me what to do, Berry!"_

" _I'm not trying to tell you what to do! I am simply trying to keep you from hurting yourself any further than you already had!"_

_Santana was startled when Rachel harshly threw the ice pack on the table. She looked at her small friend as her chest rose up and down in a quick pace. They were at the Berry's living room. Rachel found her at the park, being held by two boys on both arms, kneeling on the ground while another boy was hovering over her. She wasn't really sure what happened then but the next thing she knew, she was being cradled by Rachel. No words were exchanged between them until they got in to the Berry's._

_She looked at Rachel, jaw tightening and fist clenched as the she stared at her lap._

" _What? Do you want to hit me, Berry?"_

_Rachel's head snapped at her direction so fast she thought she might break her neck and looked at her friend incredulously. "Are you crazy, Santana?"_

_Santana shrugged. "Well, you look angry."_

" _So? That doesn't mean I want to hit you. What is wrong with you?"_

" _Everything! Every fucking thing Rachel! Nothing is right in my fucking life!"_

" _Why are you being like that, Santana?"_

_The softness in the brunette's voice surprised Santana, that for a moment, she forgot why she was angry in the first place. She shook her head violently and stood up. She refused to acknowledge the effect this girl was giving her. The gentleness on that voice was calming her nerves for some unknown reason._

_And it was freaking her out. Because although they had been friends for a long time, she was never this vulnerable to any of her friends._

" _Santana! Where are you going?" Rachel asked, gripping the Latina's wrist._

" _Anywhere away from you!" Santana pulled her hand free from the concerned brunette. She yelped in surprised when she felt the floor made contact to her body. Just then she realized that Rachel had tackled her to the ground._

" _Get off me!" She struggled and pushed the small girl that was straddling her away. She only ended up being pinned by Rachel, her wrists being held tightly above her head. The strength coming from the brunette took her by surprise._

" _No! Not until you talk to me!"_

" _I don't want to talk!" Santana growled._

" _Then you are not leaving this house until-"_

" _Why do you care?!"_

" _Because you're my friend Santana! You are important to me. I don't like seeing you this way."_

_Santana didn't mean to. She really didn't. But damn. She couldn't control the tears that streamed down her cheeks. And with those chocolate eyes that were boring into her, she just lost it._

_Just like that, her walls disintegrated into million pieces._

_She felt Rachel let go of her wrists, but she was too drained to fight back. She simply lay there, with her eyes tightly closed as silent tears continued to flow from her eyes. Her breath hitched when she felt warm hands touched the sides of her face and wiped the tears away._

_Slowly, she opened her eyes. Her heart fluttered wildly when she was met with the most sincere and caring eyes she had ever seen staring at her with so much intensity. Another wave of tears washed over her._

_She felt loved. And at that moment, she believed that there were things in her life that weren't so fucked up._

" _Please, San. Talk to me." Rachel begged as she touched her forehead with the Latina's._

_Not trusting her voice yet, Santana only managed to nod. Rachel beamed at her and she found herself smiling as well. She spent the night at the Berry's, Rachel listening to her intently, wiping her tears away, squeezing her hand to make her feel she wasn't alone._

_She had never felt so free at that time._

" _Promise me you won't engage to any fights anymore, San." Rachel said as they snuggled on her bed, the Latina comfortably laying on her chest, as she stroked her hair with her small fingers._

_Santana sighed. She wasn't the type to break a promise and what Rachel was asking of her was pretty difficult for her to do. But when she heard the soft 'Please' coming from the other girl's lips, she couldn't do anything but agree. This girl was making her a softie. And for some reason, she didn't mind at all._

" _Thank you, San."_

" _No, thank you."_

 

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Santana slammed the door to her room shut and threw herself on her queen sized bed. She covered her head with a pillow, trying to muffle the yelling from the living room._

_Her parents were fighting again, arguing about things that she didn't quite believe to be important._

_She cringed when she heard glass breaking. Probably one of those expensive alcohols that her Papa loved so much. But her Mama hated them that was why when they fight, she always made sure to at least reduce her Papa's collection._

_And that would lead to another round of argument._

_It was the fucking cycle ever since she was little._

_And she fucking hated it._

_Wanting to get away from that house, Santana grabbed her jacket and got out of her room. She went down the stairs, sneaking pass the living room, which wasn't really difficult since her parents were too busy throwing profanities at each other (it would forever be a mystery to her how they managed to still be together without physical harm after all this time). Then she was out the door._

_Santana found herself wondering at a secluded area in the park where there was a small pond. She sat at the grassy ground and took out a cig. She lit the stick, took a drag and blew out a cloud of smoke, feeling all the tension in her body leave. She repeated the process again and again until there was nothing left but the filter. She flicked the cigarette butt and it went flying somewhere across the park._

_She was about to light another one but jumped when the stick was forcefully taken from her lips. She looked up and watched as the cig was snapped in half and thrown in the pond, then her eyes was met with another set of brown eyes._

" _How you are able to get a hold of that stuff, I will never know."_

" _I'm a Lopez. That's all you need to know, Rachel," Santana replied with a scowl, annoyed with the interruption but it was welcomed. Rachel always had that effect on her._

_Rachel rolled her eyes and sat beside the Latina. "What has gotten in to you?"_

" _Nothing."_

" _Of course. You're just being your usual grumpy self. Nothing new with that."_

_This time, it was Santana's turn to roll her eyes. She didn't say anything but she could feel Rachel studying her._

" _Would you cut that out?"_

" _What?" Rachel asked innocently, furrowing her brows in feigned confusion._

_She scoffed. She could see right through Rachel. She knew the small girl was trying to rile her up until she talk._

_As if._

" _You staring at me. You're creeping me out."_

" _I thought you'd be flattered."_

_Unexpectedly, that made her laughed. Like really laugh. But her laughter died when she felt a poke on her cheek._

" _Rachel!"_

" _Sorry. You're dimple was distracting me. I always find myself staring at it when you laugh. It's cute."_

_She didn't want to admit it, but fuck, she could feel her cheeks burning and she had to look away._

" _You have a dimple yourself, Rae."_

" _I know. But it would be weird if I poke my own dimple right? And a lot weirder if I stare at it because that would mean I need to hold a mirror every time I laugh."_

_Santana snorted, controlling herself from cracking up as the images flooded her mind. The straight face that Rachel was giving her made it worse._

_Seriously. How can this girl make her forget all the shit in her life?_

_And all Rachel was doing was talk and be cute and all._

" _So..."_

_She groaned. "No, Rachel."_

" _What?"_

" _Not talking."_

" _Would you talk it over a smoke?"_

_She arched a brow and looked at Rachel incredulously. "You don't smoke."_

" _No, I don't." Rachel answered quickly. "You smoke, I listen."_

" _You do know second hand smokers die first, right?"_

" _I am aware. But if it makes you talk I wouldn't mind dying first."_

_Santana shook her head, an amused smile on her lips. "You're crazy."_

" _I thought that's the reason we're friends."_

_They were both engulfed in comfortable silence, one of them lost in thought while the other just waiting, ready to listen._

" _I wish they would just stop fighting," Santana started, breaking the silence between them. She didn't even bother to light a cigarette. She could feel Rachel looking at her and for some reason, it didn't bother her at all. She didn't have to look at the smaller brunette to see the concern in her eyes. She could practically feel the intensity of that stare._

_And it comforted her._

_Suddenly, it wasn't so hard for her to open up and show vulnerability to her friend._

" _They are always in each other's throat since I could remember. What the fuck is wrong with them? If they couldn't stand each other, why don't they just get a fucking divorce instead of trying to kill each other every single day?"_

_Santana stood up and angrily threw a pebble on the pond. She stared at the horizon, her eyes swirling with different emotions. Anger, frustration…._

_And God…_

_She didn't want to admit it but she felt sorry for herself sometimes. She felt lonely. She didn't have a brother or a sister to share her fucked up life or complain on her misfortunes for having parents like hers._

" _Sometimes I hate my life. Nobody is there for me. I'm alone in that fucking hell they call house. Nobo-"_

_She stiffened when she felt an arm wrap around her waist, hugging her from behind._

" _Don't say that, San. I'm here. Lucy and Brittany too. We're all here for you."_

_With Rachel's soft whispers in her hear, Santana let her shoulders dropped and leaned on the warmth that the girl behind was providing her._

_The hairs bristled on the back of her neck when she felt Rachel took a deep breath and exhaled on the crook of her neck._

" _Don't hate your life like that...because that would mean hating us as well. We are part of your life now, S. Just as you are part of ours."_

_She choked a sob. She didn't even attempt to wipe her tears as she felt herself weakened; the arms around her waist tightened its grip to support her._

_It may just be a simple gesture, but it meant so much to her. The action entailed deeper meaning, and she had never been more thankful and safer for being in the arms of Rachel Berry._

_They stayed that way for a few minutes until Santana felt the arms around her move and made her turn, facing Rachel. Their eyes met and the passion blaring in those brown eyes made her want to break down from pure bliss. She had never felt more secure and relieved than where she was right now._

_Warm hands cupped her face, wiping her tear-stained cheeks. She automatically closed her eyes and leaned in to the touch, a soft, contented sigh escaping her lips._

" _Santana..."_

_That gentle voice made her open her eyes slowly, and once again, that same brown eyes imprisoned her and she couldn't turn away no matter how much it made her heart race._

" _Lucy and Britt love you._ _ **I**_   _love you. And you will_ _ **never**_ _be alone. Please. Don't ever think that way again...because hearing you say it pains me."_

" _I'm sorry, Rae. I didn't mean to hurt you."_

" _I know, S. I know."_

" _Thank you, Rae. And I love you too."_

_She was never the one to be sappy...but at that moment, she didn't give a fuck. She knew she would always be safe with Rachel._

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"San, forget about what I said today in the car."

"Which one, B?"

"About thanking, Puck."

Silence surrounded the room as Santana looked at Quinn with questioning eyes but the blonde only shrugged.

Sensing the unspoken question, Brittany continued. "Because right now I just want to kill him myself."

The Latina and the Head Cheerio looked at each other as realization dawned upon them. It may not be apparent, but people would be surprised that among the three of them, Brittany was the most possessive and the easiest to get jealous.

But only if it comes to those people she _knew_ belonged to her. Brittany was smart in that kind of way.

The new revelation surprised them since Brittany had always been known to be very patient, calm and understanding ever since they were kids. They observed this new personality since their lives took a big turn last summer before sophomore year, during one of Puck's summer end party.

That was the time when they began to see each other as more than just friends.

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

_Music blared all over the Puckerman residence as the elites of McKinley blended their bodies together, drinks in hand, on the makeshift dance floor. It was one of those parties where the presence of the Unholy Trinity was a must to make sure that everything stays in order._

_Santana found herself in the living room surrounded by jocks and some Cheerios. Puck challenged her in to a game of beer pong, and it wasn't her to turn down a challenge, especially if it's Puckerman. She was aiming to kick his sorry ass._

_As she was about to throw her winning strike, she felt a hand grabbed her wrist and missed the cup._

" _Fuck!"_

" _Santana!"_

_Santana turned her head and realized that it was Brittany who was holding her hand and looking at her sternly._

" _Oh sorry, B. I thought it was someone else," the Latina replied sheepishly. Well, if it was someone else, she would've done a lot more than saying 'fuck'._

" _Britt, what's up?" Santana asked when the blonde remained quiet as she let herself be dragged up the stairs to one of the empty guest rooms. She sat the edge of the bed as she looked at Brittany who was now pacing in front of her. She wasn't known to be patient but seeing that something was bothering the blonde, she settled to wait for her to gather herself and start talking._

_After a few more pacing, eye shifting and wriggling of hands, Brittany sat down beside the fiery brunette. But they didn't talk. They just sat there for a few more minutes, Santana staring at her friend expectantly with concern and confusion. It wasn't like Brittany to be this anxious even before a competition._

_Something must be terribly wrong._

_And Santana's patience was running out as her friend continued to burn a hole on the wall._

" _Okay, B. Start talking. You're freaking me out."_

" _I'm sorry."_

" _It's okay, Britt. Just-"_

" _No."_

" _No?" Santana looked at her incredulously, confusion written all over her face._

_What the fuck?_

" _Brittany," the Latina rarely used the blonde's full name and when she did, she meant business. "You need to start making sense because I am more that freaked out right now. What has gotten in to you?"_

" _San..." Brittany started, her voice trembling despite her effort to stay calm. She had been preparing for this moment ever since she realized her true feelings towards her best friends._

_Scared would have been an understatement on how she felt that time. And she tried so hard to ignore it._

_Oh God, she tried..._

_But the more she did, the more her feelings intensified. It was beginning to kill her inside._

_Selfish at it may sound; she needed to let it out in the open._

_Because for something she knew so well to be wrong, it just felt so right. And she was almost certain her feelings were reciprocated._

_Now, the worst part was telling her friends with hopes that they would not freak out. But judging from how the Latina was reacting right now, she was failing at that. And terribly so._

_Santana's heart dropped at how vulnerable the blonde sounded. She placed a comforting hand at her friend's back, rubbing in a circular pattern. She could feel the tension on the blonde's body disappeared and she looked more relaxed._

_The brunette took a deep breath before talking. "B, tell me what's wrong. I'm your best friend. You know you can tell me anything. Do you want me to call, Q?"_

" _No!" Brittany answered too quickly, almost pleading._

" _Okay, B. I won't." Santana replied calmly, raising her hands in defeat, though she was surprised at the sudden panic on her friend's voice. She could sense the apprehension on the blonde again so she took her hand with hers and intertwined them._

_Brittany smiled in appreciation and sighed, making eye contact with the brunette. She was doing this. It was now or never._

" _Santana…"_

' _Okaayy...Full name basis mode. This_ _ **IS**_ _serious. I wonder if Q knows anything about this.' Santana thought, her heart racing in worry as she waited for the blonde to continue._

" _Whatever I'm about to tell you...I hope that it wouldn't change anything between us. And God knows how important you are to me, just as Quinn is..."_

' _Darn! Full name again.'_

" _Bri-"_

" _No," Brittany interrupted as she raised a hand to stop the brunette from talking. "Just let me finish first because I don't know if I can do this again."_

_Santana nodded and pressed her lips together. She could feel the tension thickening in the room._

" _San...I don't know what I'm going to do if I lose you or Quinn, or both. I will_ _ **die**_ _. You guys are my life. We've been through so much together and I'm so used to being with you that I feel so lost whenever you guys are not around. I may not have everything but with you and Quinn, I feel complete. And I just..."_

_Brittany swallowed the lump on her throat as she tried to keep her tears at bay. These feelings were overwhelming and she felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest any time soon. This was way more intense than just thinking about it._

_She squeezed the Latina's hand as if looking for strength to continue, and she smiled when she felt her squeezed back._

" _I love you, Santana." Brittany blurted out before she could stop herself._

_Santana was silent for a moment, baffled at her friend's actions. Of course Brittany loves her. She knows that already. And she loves her too. But the blonde knows that as well._

_So, what's the point of this conversation? It didn't make sense._

_The Latina smiled and stared at the piercing blue eyes of her friend. "I know that, B. And I love you too. Is this what it's all about?"_

_The tall Cheerio shook her head. "No, San. I._ _**LOVE** _ _.you." Brittany repeated, emphasizing every word hoping that the hidden message could get across the brunette._

_Santana was taken aback. Shocked. Her mouth fell open, blinking multiple times as if testing if this was reality._

_You know that feeling when your breathing stopped but you can literally hear your heart thumping against your chest?_

_Yeah. That's what Santana was feeling right now. And inconveniently, all her wits left her once the realization sank in._

" _B-Britt...wh-what are you talking about?"_

" _San, you're smart. You_ _ **know**_ _what I'm talking about," Brittany said in frustration. Trust Santana to make things more complicated. And don't let her get started with Quinn. She groaned._

_Quinn._

_She was going to be a lot harder to crack. Maybe she should have brought the other blonde with them too, get it all out in one go. But knowing her two stubborn friends, it was going to be a mess so she settled with the brunette first._

" _B, I don't know what to say."_

_Brittany sighed and met her friend's eyes. She contemplated for a while but she knew the decision had already been made even before she thought about it. She took another deep breath, looked at their joined hands and then back to the brown eyes that was looking at her with apprehension. She raised a hand and cupped the brunette's face, stroking the soft skin with her thumb._

_Slowly, the blonde leaned forward, biting her lips in anticipation._

" _Tell me if this isn't okay, and I will stop." Brittany whispered, her lips almost brushing with the Latina._

_Santana unconsciously licked her lips, her eyes now staring at the blonde's lips. Her breath hitched as she felt hot breath against her own lips. She should turn her head away._

_She really_ _**should** _ _._

 _But she couldn't. She_ _**didn't** _ _want to._

_Oh my God..._

_Her mind suddenly went blank as she felt soft lips against her own. And she shuddered._

_Because fuck! It felt amazing._

_Was this how a kiss was supposed to feel?_

_Santana didn't think she could feel anything more incredible than this until she felt something wet against her lips._

_God. Was that Brittany's tongue?_

_She could swear she was seeing fireworks just about now._

_A soft moan escaped her lips before she could stop herself. She opened her mouth without hesitation as she met the intruding tongue with her own._

_And wow. That noise coming from Brittany's throat was just sexy._

_Brittany felt Santana grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She groaned and wrapped her free around the Latina's waist, giving it a slight tug. Her skin tingled with excitement, her stomach constricting and a sudden heat surged through her body._

_This was far better than what she had imagined. It was simply indescribable. She wondered if it's the same with Quinn?_

_Oh yeah. Quinn._

_And as if on cue, the door burst open, revealing a slightly tipsy blonde._

" _Guys! I've been loo-"_

_The two jumped apart, as far away from each other as they could. But it was already too late. Quinn already saw them if the jaw dropping was any indication._

" _What the fuck?"_

" _Quinn..."_

" _Q, we can explain."_

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"Now look who's being possessive?" the Latina teased with a smirk, glad that the silence was broken with a comfortable conversation. That's a start.

"Shut up, San." Brittany retorted as she threw a pillow at the brunette's direction who simply caught it, and threw it back at her. "I just hate the idea that Puck can just go in and out of Rachel's personal space."

"Was that jealousy I heard?"

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Oh you know me so well."

Quinn simply laughed as she took a quick glance at her laptop with a smiling brunette on the screen. With a sigh, she closed the lid and proceeded to lie down beside the tall blonde.

It was time for them to talk.

The two blondes felt the bed dipped as Santana took her claim on the other side of Brittany. The three of them sprawled across the mattress. They remained quiet for a few minutes until Quinn's voice was heard.

"What happened today?"

"Good question. What did happen? I thought we talked about this already?"

Quinn was staring at the ceiling with a thoughtful look while Santana looked impatient.

"It's not that easy, B. We couldn't just walk up to her and expect that things are going to be okay all of a sudden."

"I know that. I'm not expecting us to be all lovey dovey with her," the tall blonde said with a hint of unusual irritation in her voice. "All I'm asking is for you to be nice."

"Britt, baby, please understand. It's hard to act different towards Rachel when everyone in school was looking at our every move."

"And that's why what happened in the lunchroom happened. We didn't mean to treat her like that. Please believe us. But the whole fucking squad was there, the jocks, even our fucking 'boyfriends'," Santana said, making quotations in the air. "And I could see everybody watching us. I'm sorry but we just can't let our guard down like that."

"We did it to protect us, Britt. I know it's unfair for Rachel but things with her are really complicated. We had tormented her for so long."

"We abandoned her." Brittany whispered but enough to be heard by her girlfriends.

There was a pause as the weight of that statement settled in their hearts.

"We did, B. We did. And now we're paying for it."

Brittany couldn't help as a sob escaped her lips. Within seconds, she was engulfed in a hug from both her sides.

"Sshhh...everything's going to be alright, baby. San and I will try our best but...we have to be cautious as well. I hope you understand. There's just too much to risk, and I'm just not talking about our reputation."

"This may sound wrong but Rachel is openly gay, B. It would have been easy if we weren't so guilty, but we are. People might get suspicious. We all know how much we love Rae, and the sudden realization of it after two years of being away from her is too much. I don't know about you two, but being near Rachel without being able to at least hold her hand is driving me insane. And I am not known to have self-control if what happened in the car earlier was any indication."

That earned a giggle from the blondes.

"It wasn't funny, okay? If only Rachel knew it wasn't her I'm jealous of."

"Can you blame her, S? We have a funny way of showing her we actually care."

"True. But the point is, if we became open to Rachel, we might not be able to handle ourselves. You remembered what happened in the locker room yesterday, right?" Santana said as she nestled her head on the crook of Brittany's neck, kissing it softly. She smirked when she felt the blonde shuddered and then she proceeded to whisper on her ear.

"Oh my God. Her body was just...wow."

"See, that's what we're talking about, baby. You were practically eye-fucking her when we got there."

Brittany shrugged. "Like you guys weren't?"

"Yes we were." Santana admitted with a smirk, a mischievous glow in her eyes.

"Santana! Stop picturing Rachel naked!" Quinn chastised.

"I wasn't! At least not completely."

Brittany laughed as Quinn reached over to slap the Latina's arm.

"Hey! Stop being such a prude, Q. You were eye-fucking her just as we do."

"Well, I'm sorry for not being as blatant as you are."

Santana scoffed. She then turned her attention to the tall blonde in the middle and her face became serious."B, I promise we'll fix this, okay? I hope you understand why Quinn and I act the way we do. Please don't be sad about it anymore."

"I understand, San. I just...I wish there's something we can do to reach out."

"We'll figure something out, Britt. We want this as much as you do. But for now, let's just try to go slow with her. Is that okay?"

Brittany stared at the gentle green eyes beside and nodded. "Okay."

"We can't just be a softy in front of everyone. You know the drill in the social hierarchy," Santana said in a low voice as she continued to shower the blonde's neck with soft peck of her lips.

"I know."

From the other side, Quinn began pampering kisses to the other blonde's face to comfort her. Once again, they were surrounded with silence. But this time, it was welcoming and comfortable as they cuddled each other.

"Do you remember the last summer we were with her?" Brittany asked, closing her eyes as she reminisced that moment in the past.

"Yeah. That was before we started high school. We spent it in my parents' rest house."

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

_The four of them were settled in the living room of the Fabray's rest house, spending their last days of summer before they could officially call themselves high schoolers. They decided to spend the night watching movies while talking about their plans the moment they first step in to William McKinley High School._

_Quinn, Santana and Brittany had been going on and on about how they will join the Cheerios, a nationally ranked cheering squad in America, date football players and basically 'rule McKinley'. They had been talking about it nonstop all summer. They were so excited about it that they were almost bouncing off their seats. However, they noticed that Rachel was yet to say something about it._

" _Rae, you're awfully quiet. Is something wrong?" Quinn asked as she crawled on top of the brunette who was quietly lying on the couch and placed her chin on Rachel's chest as she stared at her. Brittany and Santana were sitting on the floor, their backs on the front of the couch but their eyes were on Rachel._

_The brunette took a deep breath; her eyes still glued on the movie but wasn't really paying attention to it. She hasn't been since it started. She was busy listening to the girls chat about their plans in high school. And the more they talked about it, the more she felt left out. Unlike her best friends, she didn't see high school the way they did._

_Rachel wasn't interested in becoming popular. All she wanted was to expand her talent and explore more about music. She appreciated the crowd's attention but she wanted it to be when she was on stage as they gave her a standing ovation for her excellent performance._

_That's her plan in high school. That's how she could see herself._

" _I'm absolutely fine, Quinn." Rachel said as she glanced at the blonde lying on top of her._

_Quinn remained quiet but her brows knotted together, a sign that she didn't believe what the brunette had said._

_Rachel chuckled. She placed a hand on the blonde's hair as she caressed the soft locks. She heard Quinn hummed in content, her eyes closes which brought a smile on the brunette's lips. "Don't mind me. I'm just...a little out of it I guess."_

" _Well, you've been 'out of it' in days." Santana said, her fingers making quotations in the air._

_Rachel nodded quietly in response as she continued her ministrations on Quinn who was now resting her cheek against her chest._

" _Rae, if something's bothering you, you know you can talk to us, right?"_

_The brunette offered Brittany a small smile, appreciating the noticeable concern in her voice. "I know, Britt. Don't worry. I'm okay. I guess I'm just...nervous about high school."_

_Santana scoffed. "You? Nervous? No way! You have more confidence than me, B and Q combined. And that's saying something."_

_Rachel rolled her eyes but a smile was on her lips while the two blondes chuckled._

_There was a moment of silence; the only sound that could be heard was the one coming from the television._

" _I-I'm not really nervous about the idea of going to high school." Rachel said, breaking the silence. Her voice was low and quiet, almost unsure._

_The three girls stared at the girl lying on the couch, each showing confusions in their eyes._

_Sensing the unspoken question, Rachel continued, "It's just that high school is going to be different. A lot of things can happen. We get to meet new people. It's a bigger world for us." She paused for a while, not really sure how she could continue without sounding nonsense. "What I'm trying to say is; we don't know what can happen. I am excited about it. But I...I guess I'm just...scared as well."_

" _It's okay to feel anxious about it, Rae." Quinn comforted as she placed a hand on the brunette's cheek._

_Rachel stared at the girl on top of her and felt her heart flutter at the softness she saw in it. "I know, Q. I'm just really worried," she said as she leaned on the hand caressing her face, closing her eyes for a moment. She breathed deeply before opening her eyes again. This time, she looked at each of the three girls' faces as if memorizing them._

" _You don't have to be scared of anything. We will be with you all the way."_

" _B's right. What are you afraid of? We're going to rule that school and no one will ever want to mess with us." Santana said with a smug smirk._

_The small brunette bit her lip as she continued to look at her best friends. "Just...remember. Whatever happens in high school, I'll always have your back. I promise. I won't let anyone hurt any of you."_

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"She was...acting strange then. It was as if...she knew this was going to happen. And...we just let it," Brittany mourned as a tear escaped her eye. "How could we do that to her?"

Quinn and Santana were both wearing saddened expression, their hearts breaking as they too asked themselves the same question. They just hugged the blonde in the middle tighter as they tried to comfort each other, each girls sobbing silently because of the missing feeling and ache in their hearts.

"We'll make it up to her. Somehow."

"I miss her, San. I miss her so much."

"We know. We miss her too. We'll get her back. I promise."

"I love you, Quinn." Brittany whispered as she leaned over to kiss the girl's lips.

"I love you too, Britt." Quinn replied as soon as they broke apart.

Brittany turned on the other side to give the Latina the same kiss she gave Quinn.

"I love you, San."

"I love you too, B."


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates on the Nicknames:  
> Quinnie, Sanny/San, Rachie – Brittany  
> Q, B, Rae/Tiny – Santana  
> S, Britt/baby, Rach/Sweetie – Quinn  
> Rachel can call them with just about any name she wants.

Rachel woke up that morning feeling...well, tired. Still. She sighed. It's only been the first week of school and she already find in exhausting. Emotionally.

Seriously though. They (meaning Quinn, Santana and Brittany) had been in her radar since summer this year. Not that they were never consistently in her radar. Because, hello! She could see them even from a hundred mile radius. That's how crazy obsessed she was.

However, last summer seemed different. Usually, they were in her radar. Period. But recently, for reasons she couldn't comprehend, she felt like she was in their radar as well. And it was weird because they were acting, well, weird. Other than the constant name calls and insults, she was invisible to them. She had been for almost two years now. She noticed that they try to ignore her as much as they possibly could. Come to think of it, they never really paid much attention to her when no one was looking. Like, she would pass by them on the hallways and they won't even glance at her direction. She should know because though her eyes were always on the ground, she would still give them subtle looks from the corner of her eyes.

Yeah. Like that wasn't creepy at all.

She thought that their constant  _'bumping in to each other_ ' before the school year began was just mere coincidence. Like when she was helping out her Dad at Burt's garage, they were there, either needing a service or simply hanging out with their boys at the Hummel's house which was just across the street.

Or when she was working part time at Lima Bean as a barista during the weekdays. They would come there every day during the summer and hung out. Usually, it would just be the three of them. But there were times that their boys were there too. And they would sometimes stay there until closing hours. And no. She wasn't saying that they were there for her. But...she's Rachel Berry. She knew something was up. Because being the creep that she was, she would sometimes hide behind a glass or pretend to be busy while secretly looking at them. And she swore she had caught each one of them glancing at the counter from their seats, as if searching for something. Or someone.

Or her.

Like she said. She was Rachel freaking Berry. She was good at assuming stuff. It was hopeful thinking and it made her feel good. So just leave her be.

There were also other random incidents in which she would find herself less than ten feet away from them. And that was just weird because suddenly, they were all over the place. It was either they were trying to taunt her for not being their friends anymore or they were…watching her. Wait. Was that even possible?

Rachel thought it was just all her imagination so she didn't pay much attention to it. But then first day of school came. The awkward scene with them in the locker room left her pretty shaken up. She couldn't concentrate the whole day after that. And then yesterday happened. Ugh. Don't let her get started with that…again. After that very awkward moment in the car, she went straight to her room, and ungracefully plopped on her bed, hoping to get some sleep. However, other than her heart, her mind was racing as well, keeping her up until late last night.

She really didn't want to admit it. But damn. The girls' actions were causing her emotional turmoil. They were messing up her once peaceful mind. She would usually just shrug it off since that's what she had gotten used to do for the last two years. But they had been acting strange since  _summer_.

And after yesterday, it was confirmed. Something was up with those three.

She really didn't want to think much of it. Whatever was up that involved the girls  _and_  her, it would never be good. High school proved her that.

As she climbed down the stairs, she heard noises coming from the kitchen and smiled.

"Good morning, Noah," Rachel greeted her friend who was already making coffee for the both of them. When she told Puck that her dads won't be coming home last night, it only took fifteen minutes before she heard a knock on their door, revealing a mowhawk boy, carrying DVDs.

"Good morning, Princess."

"You're up early."

Puck smirked and handed the mug beside him to Rachel. "How are you feeling?"

Rachel smiled as she sipped on her mug, stirred at her friend's concern."I'm feeling fine, Noah. Thank you for asking. What about you? I hope Coach Beiste was good to you yesterday. We never really got the chance to talk about that last night."

Puck scoffed. "Of course. You don't have to worry about it. I'm not getting suspended any time soon. Even she couldn't resist the Puckster," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Ugh. You're disgusting, Noah," Rachel scrunched her face as she proceeded to put her mug and Puck's on the sink. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yep." Puck grabbed his keys, his bag and carried Rachel's bag for her. They walked out the front door, locked it and climbed Puck's truck. He started the ignition and drove away.

"Thank you for last night, Noah," Rachel said, breaking the silence inside the vehicle. "You really didn't have to accompany me. I can take care of myself. However, I still appreciate the gesture. That was really thoughtful of you."

"Nah. Don't mention it. I just realized it's been a while since we last got together so I thought we can take advantage of last night."

"Well, you are pretty busy with your girlfriend."

"Santana?"

Rachel quirked her eyebrow, "Is there anybody else?" She wasn't really sure what irked her more. The idea that Puck was dating Santana or that there was a chance that he was cheating on the Latina.

Puck shrugged. "I'm not really sure she likes giving labels to whatever we have. But we're good. She's pretty cool if she's not PMSing."

The brunette laughed at that. Very true.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Puck parked his pickup on his usual spot. As soon as they climbed down, a red Lexus LS 460 F-Sport arrived and claimed the space beside Puck's truck. Rachel recognized the car immediately and her heart sped up. She looked at Puck who was wearing his usual smirk, staring at the newly arrived vehicle.

The doors of the car opened, revealing two blondes and one brunette.

The Unholy Trinity.

Santana climbed down from the driver's seat, Quinn from the passenger's and Brittany from the back.

Rachel swallowed hard, remembering the events the day prior, more particularly the last thing she said to them before she parted with them. Once again, due to a temporary relapse of judgment, she had forgotten a very vivid detail that Santana was dating Puck, the boy that she kind of hinted she wanted to be with if only she wasn't gay.

And this was one of those times she was thankful she's gay.

"I should go ahead. I'll just see you later, Noah," Rachel said quickly, a new mission forming in her head,  **Mission Avoid The Unholy Trinity At All Cost**. She began to walk towards the school entrance but a hand grabbed her wrist, halting her.

"No. No. I will walk with you, Rach. Let me just go say hi to the girls."

The diva shook her head, panic evident in her eyes. "That won't be nece-"

"Hey babe," Puck ignored the diva, turning his attention to Santana and kissed her cheek.

"Puck," Santana greeted, trying not to scrunch her face when she felt Puck's lips on her skin.

Puck then turned to the two girls behind the Latina. "Hey Quinn, Britt."

The two blondes nodded their heads and smiled at the Mohawk and then turned their attention to the girl standing behind him.

Rachel watched with wide eyes as the three girls approached them. Her eyes locked with the Latina, then to the two blondes then proceeded to steady her gaze the ground, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. She shifted from foot to foot, sensing the intensity of the stares coming from the girls.

"You came with the midget?"

Rachel's head jerked up when she heard Santana's voice. Her brows burrowed when she noticed the Latina looking down, one brow curved in a perfect angle and followed her line of sight. It landed on her wrist that was being held by Puck. She grimaced and quickly moved her hand away from Puck's grasp, causing him to give her a confused look.

The gesture didn't go unnoticed by the Latina. Her brow only went up higher (if it's even possible) and crossed her arms over her chest. Behind her, Quinn and Brittany seemed to have noticed the not so subtle action of the diva. Quinn had her HBIC look; both of her hands were on her hips, her eyebrow mirroring Santana's. Brittany's brows were knotted together, her arms were crossed and her lips were tight.

"Yeah. I spent the night at their place," Puck answered, oblivious at the tension between the four girls.

Rachel's jaw dropped, her eyes widening as she stared at him in panic.

_Shit._

"Her Dads didn't come home last night so I thought I'd keep her company."

_Oh my God! Stop talking!_

The diva glanced at Santana, gauging her reaction. She winced when she noticed the rage on the Latina's eyes. On the corner of her eyes, she could see the two blondes tensed as well.

_Really, Noah? Really?_

Rachel felt like crying as she tightened her grip on the straps of her bag.

"Wait up. How come you never told me that last night?"

Nobody missed the calm but deadly tone of the Latina.

"Uhh...do I have to?"

"I should go!" Rachel interrupted the conversation, sensing the tension building up. She frowned when her voice came out as a shriek. Without waiting for a reply, she turned her back and started walking towards the entrance.

_Ohmygodohmygod! Santana's going to kill me!_

Rachel groaned at the thought. She was pretty sure Quinn and Brittany will too. Because if you mess with one of them, you mess with all of them.

Oh God. She's screwed.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Puck was bewildered as he watched Rachel's retreating back. "What's with her?" He turned to the girls and recoiled, noticing the dark aura radiating from the three. "Um...I think I'm just gonna go too."

With that, he walked as fast as he could, following Rachel's trail.

Santana clenched her fists, her jaw tightening as she threw daggers at the jock's back.

"San, please keep a hold of your boy toy. I really don't want him to be like Finn. An eyesore."

Santana huffed. "I'm on it."

"Let's go," Quinn said, not even bothering to defend Finn and putting on her HBIC look.

The Unholy Trinity strode the halls of McKinley like they usually do, the crowd parting as they passed by, their eyes automatically turning to a certain part of the hallway where a small brunette was talking to a Mohawk. In an instant, the three of them were scowling at that particular scene. Quinn gave a look at the Latina behind her who nodded in understanding. Before reaching their lockers, Santana separated from the two blondes, stopping just beside Rachel's locker.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"Rach!"

Rachel rolled her eyes as she opened her locker. "Puck, what are you doing here?"

"Why did you leave me there?"

The diva groaned. Insensitive much? "Well, as you know, I always practice my vocals before classes start so I am hoping I can still salvage the remaining time to go to the choir room and do as such," she looked at her watch and frown. "But since it's almost time, I guess I'm going to have to postpone that."

"Cool. Walk you to class then?"

Rachel was about to reply when her locker was shut violently. She shrieked and jumped in surprise, stepping back as to not get hit by the locker door. She turned her head to the side and was met with a snarling Latina.

Uh oh.

"Santana, that's totally not cool."

"Shut it Puckerman," the brunette Cheerio snide before turning to the diva. "And you. Get your midget paws away from my man." Santana tried not to cringe. Something was so wrong with that statement. My man? Really?

"Hey. Don't act like a jealous girlfriend all of a sudden."

"Didn't I just tell you to shut it?" Santana snapped, turning her glare to the jock.

Puck opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Rachel. "That's fine, Noah. I completely understand where Santana is coming from."

With that, Santana quirked her brow and looked at Rachel as if asking 'Do you really?' But it went unnoticed by the small brunette who was busy focusing her gaze on the floor while wringing her fingers.

"As her boyfriend, you have the obligation to inform her about your plans, more specifically to where you are going and to whom you will spend it with. It is very disre-"

"Oh God! You talk too much! Don't you ever shut that annoying mouth of yours?! It's giving me a fucking headache!"

"Whoa. Chill, babe. Keep it down. You're drawing too much attention."

Rachel was taken aback. She didn't see the outburst coming. Well, she sort of did. But still. This one had hit her hard for an unknown reason. Though she had been accustomed by the snarky remarks coming from the Latina, this was the first time she had seen her so...angry.

And wow. That stung. Because once upon a time, Santana had been so fond of her verbosity. It may annoy the Latina, but it never angered her like this.

This was just another thing to contemplate about the strange behavior of the girls. Wasn't Santana somewhat nice to her just yesterday? And now she looked as if she was ready to rip the diva's head off.

Then something clicked. This was Santana being possessive. And based on her history with the brunette Cheerio, she could get violent because of it. Santana's temper combined with jealousy was never a good thing.

Rachel smacked the back of her head mentally, chastising herself for making that statement yesterday. She and her non-filtered, insensitive mouth. She bit her lip and hesitantly looked up at the raging Cheerio. Her brows furrowed when she saw that Santana wasn't looking at her, but at Puck. Actually, she was sneering at him. And that's just...unexpected.

"Santana, if I may-"

Santana snapped her head to the starlet, looking at her as if remembering just now that Rachel was there. She shook her head and held a hand up, stopping whatever the diva was going to say. "No, RuPaul. You may not. Better yet, don't even open your mouth when I'm around, do you understand?"

"Santana! Stop it. You're acting like a bi-"

"Noah! Don't even finish that sentence!" Rachel surprised even herself as she reprimanded the boy, and by the looks on their faces, Santana and Puck was just as surprised as her, their mouths hanging open. She wasn't really sure why she said that.

Well, maybe she did. She had this instinct to defend the girls whenever she could, in her own subtle way. Although what she did just now was anything but subtle. She had never lost control like this, especially in front of any of the three. And especially under this circumstance.

That's just so awkward.

"Everything alright?"

And things were just about to get even more awkward.

This was just the perfect timing that the two blondes decided to have their presence known and were now standing behind the Mohawk, observing the exchange between the three brunettes. Quinn and Brittany decided to chime in when they heard the slight increase in the Latina's voice, fearing she might completely lose her temper and cause some serious damage. Especially to Rachel.

"Santana's acting like a jealous bi-"

"Noah!"

Gah. Rachel really needed to learn how to shut her mouth.

Puck turned to the small brunette, looking at her in disbelief. "Are you being serious right now, Rach?"

Rachel huffed and gave him a bored look. Her eyes shifted on the corner, noticing Finn and Sam coming towards them. She locked eyes with the golden boy and smirked at his swollen face but then she frowned when she realize the situation she was currently in.

Oh great. Quick! Find an escape route now before the popular kids devour you whole.

"I believe it would be best if we all go to our classes now."

"Alright, Jewbabe. Let me walk you to class."

" **No**!"

Puck raised his two hands in mock surrender, although confused at the sudden outburst of the four girls. Rachel he could understand because he's used to her acting all weird and stuff. But the three Cheerios? What's up with that? "Uh...okay?"

Rachel's facial features turned from clueless to shock to confusion then to scowling when Finn and Sam finally reached them, giving their girlfriends a kiss on the cheek. She fought the urge to roll her eyes and not to gag. She scoffed.

Then six pairs of eyes were suddenly boring into her.

Err...

Her face felt hot all of a sudden, her cheeks flushed in pinkish hue and she bit her lips anxiously. She shifted from foot to foot as she stood there uncomfortably, clutching her books tightly across her chest while finding a sudden interest on the floor.

She jumped in surprise when she felt a hand under her chin. She looked up and was met with a pair of soft hazel eyes.

"Hey Jewbabe, are you alright?"

Umm...

Well, if it weren't for the arched eyebrows and scowling faces of the three Cheerios, not to mention the whole student gaping at the intimate gesture, it would have been comforting since Rachel was used to seeing the soft side of Puck. Although this was one of the rare occasions that he showed it in public. Rare as in never.

Gathering her wits, Rachel softly snapped the hand away, stepped back and stared at her friend incredulously, "Noah!"

"What?"

The diva's eyebrows went up to her hairline, eyes wide as she gave him an  _are-you-seriously-that-clueless_  look.

"Oh..." Puck's face relaxed as realization finally dawn into him, and then rubbed the back of his neck at the sudden discomfort he felt from his actions.

Yep. Definitely awkward.

Rachel smiled sympathetically at his friend, touched by the gesture albeit causing them some unwanted and uncomfortable attention from the student body.

"Puckerman."

And the moment was broken with the calm but cold voice of the Latina.

Every cell in Rachel's brain was screaming for her to run and escape the incoming wrath of the Snix before it's too late.

"I'm going now. See you later, Noah," she said in a low voice that only Puck could hear. The Mohawk nodded in understanding, the graveness of the situation finally sinking into his brain. She made her hasty retreat before anything else could be said. When she turned around the corner, she cast a quick glance back at the group and winced when she saw the fiery Cheerio smacked the back of Puck's head.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"What the hell was that, Puck?!"

"What is? And stop hitting me! Has anybody told you have an iron fist?"

"I will stop if you get your act together! Seriously? The midget? I can't believe you did that in front of me!"

"Rach is my Jewbro! Stop having your panties in a twist woman! We've been friends since ever. Like you don't know that. We all grew up together, remember? Oh wait. You obviously don't."

For a brief moment, there was a flash of pain from the Latina's eyes. But it was quickly gone and was replaced with rage. Her jaw tightened, fist clenching, her nostrils flaring, as she stepped towards Puck, evading his person space.

It's official. The Snix was out.

"You .did .not .just .say .that!" Santana exclaimed as she poked Puck's chest with every word, the sound of her voice low but the intensity of the venom could be felt across the hallway as students tried to ignore the fact that the fiery cheerleader was just about to explode, "You don't fucking know anything Puckerman!"

Puck took a step back. For a second, he thought he saw some emotion that wasn't anger from the brunette's eyes. He looked down in guilt, remembering his promise to the diva. He felt bad for hurting the Latina. He knew he hit a nerve there. And it wasn't only her, he was certain the blow hit the two blondes as well, no matter how hard they were trying to hide it.

_Damn. Rachel's going to kill me._

"That's enough, Santana," the cold voice of the HBIC rang through the hallway, causing shivers to those who heard it. She stood emotionless as she continued to look at the Mohawk who was now avoiding everybody's eyes, "Come on."

Quinn strode the halls while Brittany proceeded to Santana's side and tugged her arms to follow the Head Cheerio. The tall blonde was silent all throughout the conversation but the grim in her eyes and the daggers thrown at Puck's direction were enough to say that she was pissed beyond hell.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"What the hell was that, Santana? Puck I get. But Rachel? Did you really have to blow up at her like that?"

Santana frowned as she let the tall blonde drag her to an empty bathroom with Quinn leading the way. She could feel how tensed the two blondes were, but she was sure it wasn't just because she lost her temper earlier. "I'm sorry, B. But she was talking too much and I just lost it. Her lips were moving a lot and it was kind of...distracting. Better than kissing her in front of everyone, right?"

The two blondes just looked at he,r unimpressed, Quinn's hands on her hips while Brittany had her arms crossed.

"I know. I know," Santana sighed as she flung her arms around in frustration. "I shouldn't have, okay? But this is just fucking crazy! All this pent up feelings and shit is driving me insane. And it's not fair that I'm jealous of my own boyfriend! Like, what the fuck? What kind of twisted reality is this?"

In a matter of seconds, the Latina was engulfed in a tight embrace by Brittany, rubbing her back to calm her down. Quinn's expression softened as she placed a hand on Santana's arm.

"I know it's hard, San. Quinn and I feel the same way too. And Puck's sudden protectiveness with Rachel isn't helping keep our feelings in control. Believe me. It took all of my will not to grab him and ruin his stupid mohawk."

Santana nodded in silent agreement as Brittany let her go only to have another pair of arms wrapped around her body from behind. She leaned in to the touch and closed her eyes, all tension releasing from her body as she pulled the hands around her waist tighter.

"We can't lose it, S. We can't let things get out of control. Our situation with Rachel right now is very delicate. She doesn't trust us. The last thing we want is to freak her out."

"I know, Q. I know," Santana tilted her head, facing the blonde as she wrapped an arm at the back of the blonde's neck, pulling her for a kiss. Her breath hitched when she felt another pair of lips making contact on her exposed throat.

And then the door burst open.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel walked in quick steps along the halls, almost running, looking back over her shoulders as two Cheerios were hot on her trail. She found herself entering a nearby restroom, a habit she had developed over the years while doing her best to hide from jocks trying to slushie her.

Wrong move.

The brunette stared wide eyed, jaw dropped, as she was greeted by another three Cheerios, catching them as they jumped away from each other in surprise and was now looking just as horrified as her.

The Unholy Trinity.

The starlet stood rooted on her spot, her brows going up her hairline, deliberating on what she just saw.

Was that...Were they..wow. Now she's imagining things.

...Right?

Her mouth flapped open and close, racking her brain for the appropriate thing to say to at least relieve the growing uncomfortable tension in the room.

"Rachel."

"Q-Quinn." Rachel breathed, trying to calm her beating heart. She tried to smile which turned out as a grimace as she tried to block the images that she had found the trio in. For the sake of her sanity, she'd like to believe that it was just her mind playing tricks on her.

"Santana, Brittany," Rachel nodded to the other two occupants of the room, slightly nervous at the now sneering trio at her.

"What are you doing here, Midget?"

Just then, the door burst open violently, revealing two angry Cheerios, covered in blue liquid. Rachel was trapped. She smacked her head mentally, remembering that it wasn't the jocks that were after her this time. She cringed at the evil glint at the Cheerios' faces who were yet to recognize the presence of the trio.

"Well, it seems like you have nowhere to go now, Man Hands."

"You really shouldn't have made us ran like that. It's not like your short legs could take you anywhere."

Rachel didn't say anything, contemplating on how she would get out of that grave situation. She could always kick their ass without breaking a sweat. But then again, she didn't want Coach Sylvester going after her once she laid a finger on any of her Cheerios. She was certain that devil of a coach could get her expelled in a blink of an eye. And that won't be good on her record.

Let's not forget the three head bitches on the other side of the room.

Rachel was amused and fought a smile when the trio ignored the commotion, busying themselves on the sink and looking at the mirror as if they weren't just standing there a while ago, looking like deer caught in headlight.

Nobody talked. Rachel was ogling (again and in a not so subtle way) at the three girls. The two unknown Cheerios were just confused and uncomfortable, finally realizing that their superiors were actually right in front of their faces. It would have been the perfect opportunity for Rachel to make her escape if only she wasn't on the other end of the bathroom, opposite the door that was currently being blocked by the two not-so-confident-anymore cheerleaders.

And if only she wasn't so distracted on how Quinn was applying lipgloss on her soft lips that was just begging to be kissed. Or how Santana's brow arched perfectly while tracing it with a brow pencil, giving her that tough but sexy look. Or how Brittany was tracing her sides with both hands, chest out, checking herself out in the mirror.

"Stop staring you freaking homo!"

Rachel snapped her head towards one of unknown Cheerios, a blonde, standing by the door. Her mouth opened to say something only to have it closed when no words would come out (which seemed to be happening to her a lot lately).

Busted.  _Again_.

She gave a quick glance on the mirror to check the reaction of the three cheerleaders and saw them staring daggers at their co-Cheerios who were now cowering at the intense glare.

Not that Rachel was complaining, but she expected she'd be the one on the receiving end of those deadly looks.

"Name."

The unknown blonde Cheerio turned her head to Santana, faltering at the irritated voice from the Latina.

"V-Vivian."

"Vivian. Right. So, tell me what the fuck happened to you?" Santana questioned, gesturing to the blonde's uniform that was covered with blue stain.

Vivian turned her head to the small brunette across the room, angrily pointing a finger on her, "That...thing! Did this to me!"

Rachel was appalled, "In my defense-"

"Shut it, Dwarf."

The diva rolled her eyes and huffed, crossing her arms.

"So are you saying you let Berry slushie you?"

All heads turned to Brittany, one hand on her hip, her lips pressed in a thin line.

"Of course not!" Vivian exclaimed, but regretted it right away as three pairs of eyes threw her a death glare, causing her to lower her gaze to the ground.

Silence fell between the group, the two Cheerios shifting uncomfortably under the intense stare of the three top bitches while the small brunette watched silently in amusement. It's not everyday that she could see her three former best friends being a bitch against other Cheerios. And if she was insane enough, she'd have to say that they were taking her side.

"Did you just fucking raise your voice at us?" Santana snapped.

"I-I..."

"Out."

Vivian snapped her head at Quinn who was now on full HBIC mode, amazed at how a single word from the Head Cheerio's lips could somehow cause the whole place to freeze.

"Wh-what?"

"I said get out. And you better make sure that won't stain. Because if I see even just a little drop of blue on that uniform, I will personally give you the assurance that you will never wear that uniform again.  _Ever_. Do I make myself clear?"

The two Cheerios nodded eagerly, eyes wide at the calm but icy tone of the HBIC, before hastily going out of the door.

Rachel once again found herself alone with the Unholy Trinity. She wondered how she always find herself in this predicament since school started, which, by the way, was more than enough to last the whole school year.

And as of today, she had already crossed their paths for the third time. And first period had not even started yet!

But then again, this wouldn't happen if those two Cheerios didn't chase her there. It was an accident after all. She was in a hurry to get to the classroom because she needed to talk to Mr. Schue before class begins. But as she was rounding the corner, she bumped in to a blonde Cheerio whose name she now knew, was Vivian. The said cheerleader was carrying a slushie, and due to their collision, the slushie (that was probably meant for someone) spilled over herself instead. She wanted to laugh but thought better of it and instead, she just apologized. Profusely by the way.

But as expected, she was unheard. Fearing for the worst, and after what happened earlier that day, she wasn't really in the mood to deal with another girl wearing a red and white uniform. So she took the coward's way (which wasn't her at all, mind you, but she was dealing with too much stress already) and ran.

However, considering the present situation she had found herself into, maybe it would have been better if she hadn't run after all. Because now, she was faced with the exact same girls that she made sure she would avoid at all cost today. And if possible, the entire school year.

"Well, that was quite an interesting turn of events. Now, if you would excuse me, I must be on my way to class. Farewell."

And with that, Rachel walked towards the door. Once she grabbed the handle, she stopped and hesitated. What if those Cheerios asked some jocks to slushie her and were just waiting for her to get out? She really didn't want to be late today since she was already super late yesterday. Mr. Schue might give her detention this time. And she never had detention, like, ever. She stuck her bottom lip out and slumped her shoulders.

"Anytime now, Rachel."

Rachel turned her head to the fiery Latina who had her arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently on the floor, looking at her expectantly. She wasn't really sure what confused her more; the statement itself or the fact that Santana called her Rachel. "Sorry. What?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "Just so you know, you're not the only one who needs to go to class. And you are blocking the way."

"Oh. I apologize, Santana. It's just that..." Rachel glanced at the door again with the same pout on her lips.

Santana's lips quirked a little at the sight in front of her. It looked so...cute. But she wouldn't admit that to anyone. Ever. Sensing the diva's dilemma, she looked at the two blondes, shared a silent communication with them and the blondes nodded in understanding.

Gently pushing Rachel aside, she opened the door and stepped out. She was soon followed by Quinn. Putting on their HBIC faces on, they looked around. And indeed, around the corner were Karofsky and Azimio, each carrying a slushie.

Rachel wasn't really surprised when Santana and Quinn bypassed her. She knew how impatient those two could be. What she didn't expect though was when she felt two strong hands on her shoulders and gently gave her a push towards the door. The small brunette was pretty sure her body was melting. She felt dizzy and lightheaded all of a sudden, a tingling sensation ran through her body as soon as she felt soft lips almost brushing her ear, softly whispering to her.

"It's okay, Rachie. We got you."

Brittany. Ever since they were little, the tall blonde had always been affectionate. Lingering, innocent touches. Soft kisses on the cheek. Tight hugs. Whispers of sweet nothings. She was very touchy and sweet, just a few things Rachel loved from the blonde. And even after two years, it still had the same effect on the starlet.

Brittany felt the brunette tensed under her touch. She smiled a little and gave her a squeeze before pulling the door open and guided them out. Once they were out, they were greeted by Santana and Quinn, each of them now holding a slushie.

Rachel froze on her spot when she saw the two Cheerios in front, her eyes wide, breathing halted, her heart racing. She could practically feel her heart pounding on her chest. This was it. She knew the Unholy Trinity wouldn't let her get away like that. Was this what Brittany meant by 'we got you'?

She closed her eyes and waited in apprehension for the cold liquid to hit her face. She waited and waited and...

"Walk Rachie. And follow our lead."

What?

"What?" Rachel asked as she fluttered her eyes open, furrowing her brows in confusion when she realized that Santana and Quinn were already walking across the halls, students clearing their path, slushies still on hand. She jumped when she felt an arm wrapped around her shoulder and despite her trepidation, a shiver ran through her spine when she felt hot breath on her ear.

"Relax, Rachel. Just follow our lead and you're going to be fine," Brittany whispered as she lead Rachel and followed the two HBIC. She could feel how stiff the girl on her arm was and sighed. It was unsettling but she understood. Could she really blame this girl for not trusting them?

From the outside, it would look as if the trio had Rachel trapped, the quartet being led by the Ice Queen and the Snix, each with a cup of slushie, their HBIC mask on while the diva was held captive by the tall blonde on her arms. There was no escape. Some looked sympathetic for the brunette, thinking how the three head bitches were going to torture her.

Rachel was trying her best to stay calm. She had no idea what the three were planning to do to her and she was freaking out inside. She could always pull some tricks and then run for her dear life. But she wasn't really sure if she wanted to go against them as of now, considering the tension that was building between the four of them in the past couple of days. They could make her high school life ten times worse in just a snap of their fingers. And she was certain she didn't want that.

In addition to that, she didn't really know how she could get away from the arm that was tightly wrapped around her shoulders without hurting Brittany. And there was just no way she's going to hurt the blonde. It wasn't even an option.

Yeah. She's soft like that. Seriously. You should know that by now.

Rachel's jaw dropped as she watched Quinn and Santana threw the slushies they were holding at the nearby trash can and soon found herself being led in one of the classrooms. It was their Spanish class. First period of the day.

Brittany dropped her hands on her side as she followed her two counterparts who were now sitting comfortably on the chairs at the back of the room, acting nonchalantly, leaving a perplexed diva standing on the doorway.

What the hell was that?

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel stood at the stage of the empty auditorium, sitting at the piano bench as she absentmindedly played with the keys. She decided to skip lunch for that day, appreciating the comfortable silence that the auditorium offered her. She was lost in thought, replaying the events that morning.

It was mind-boggling how her former best friends were acting lately. They could go from being nice to her, to ignoring her then to wanting to rip her head off. It was strange. It felt like they were toying with her feelings. But then again, there was no way they were aware of her feelings for them, right?

Then why? Why were they acting this way? It was frustrating on Rachel's part because she couldn't seem to grasp the reasons behind the bizarre behavior of the three cheerleaders. Was it part of a big prank they were planning for her?

The thought put a frown and sadness on her face. She had always been hopeful that someday things would get better between them. That they will, at some point, be able to fix their ruined friendship. She never lost hope.

After more pondering, her fingers found a familiar rhythm on the piano keys and her voice resounded at the empty auditorium as she got lost on memory lane.

**There were nights when the wind was so cold**

**That my body froze in bed**

**If I just listened to it**

**Right outside the window**

**There were days when the sun was so cruel**

**That all the tears turned to dust**

**And I just knew my eyes were**

**Drying up forever**

**I finished crying in the instant that you left**

**And I can't remember where or when or how**

**And I banished every memory you and I had ever made**

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Rachel tromped along the halls of McKinley as she busily shuffled through the sheet music she had on her hands, deciding on which piece she would practice on later, when she felt a hand grabbed her wrist and roughly pulled her towards an empty classroom._

_"Santana! You scared me to death!"_

_"You're being overly dramatic, Rae."_

_"Well, I apologize if being randomly pulled in to an empty classroom without my consent by an unknown person frightens me."_

_The Latina rolled her eyes. "But I'm not an unknown person. And I need to talk to you."_

_"That I know now. But I still prefer if you could have just approached me properly if you want to talk."_

_"About that. I'll go straight to the point, Rae. We, meaning Q, Britt and I, want you to join the Squad. With us."_

_"San, we've talked about this." Rachel smiled and took the Latina's hands with hers. "Though I love the idea of being with you guys and the additional hours of spending time with my best friends, and of course, not that I can't make it because I am certain that I can impress even your Coach from hell with my amazing talent, Cheering is just not for me. I just can't see myself being tossed around like a human ball, which I'm sure, what's going to happen considering my petite stature. In addition to tha-"_

_"If you don't shut up, I swear to God I will kiss you."_

_"Santana! How highly inappropriate!"_

_"Oohh. You didn't shut up. Does that mean you want me to kiss you?" The brunette Cheerio smirked as she moved closer to the tiny starlet who stepped back until she hit the wall. Santana kept her stride until she was inches apart from her best friend, placing her hands on the shorter brunette's hips as she leaned forward._

_Rachel felt her cheeks burning, her heart racing, chills running down her spine as Santana's hot breath tickled her lips. Involuntarily, her eyes closed. All she had to do was lean a little more and their lips would be touching._

_Just a little bit more..._

_And then she heard giggling which turned out as full blown laughter as she felt the warm body against her disappear. She fluttered her eyes open and frowned._

_"That wasn't funny, Santana Lopez!" Rachel huffed, crossed her arms and stomped her foot. She glared at the Latina who wasn't even trying to calm herself. She could still feel her ears burning from embarrassment._

_"You should have seen your face!"_

_Rachel puffed her cheeks and turned her heels to leave with a 'Hmp'. As she was reaching for the door knob, she felt warm body pressed against her back, stilling her movements, arms wrapping around her small waist._

_"I'm sorry, Rae," Santana said in her low, husky voice, pressing her chin on Rachel's shoulder. "I was just teasing you."_

_It sounded so gentle that it melted Rachel's heart, her annoyance towards the Latina forgotten as she relaxed on the embrace. "Well, I'm glad you find amusement on your teasing."_

_"Only for you, Tiny. I don't think anyone could look as adorable as you are when I tease you."_

_Rachel giggled and rolled her eye. "You know that won't make me change my mind, right?" She felt the arms around her tightened and the body behind her tensed. She furrowed her brows and moved away from the embrace as she turned her body to face the Latina. "What's wrong?"_

_Santana took a deep breath, shaking her head. She reached out and grasped the diva's hands, playing with her fingers and intertwining them. "Nothing. It's just...we want you there, Rae. We need you there."_

_"What would you need me there for? Rumor says that you guys are the future royalties of McKinley. I know you three. You could practically crash those at the top and make them kneel before you without my help. I can see it now."_

_"That's just it, Rachel-"_

_The small brunette raised an eyebrow at the mention of her full name. Santana rarely calls her that unless something was bothering the Latina._

_"We want you at the top. With us. Together."_

_"San...are we going through this again?"_

_"I just don't get it!" Santana exclaimed, letting go of the diva's hands and throwing her hands in the air. "Why would you insist on joining that stupid club with those losers when you can be with your best friends?"_

_Rachel crossed her arms defiantly and pursed her lips. "And I don't get it as well. Why is it such a big deal how I spend my high school life?"_

_"Because!"_

_"Because what, Santana?"_

_This time, Santana huffed and crossed her arms as they stared at each other, both too stubborn to look away._

_"You know what? Just forget about it, okay?"_

_Rachel sighed as the Latina walked passed her towards the door. She didn't try to stop her best friend when she opened the door and the starlet was left alone in the room to ponder on what happened._

_Of course Rachel knew what the big deal was about. Her best friends were going for the top, while she was, due to lack of a better description, chose to be at the very bottom, although she wasn't really much for social hierarchy. But she just didn't care about it._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**But when you touch me like this**

**And you hold me like that**

**I just have to admit**

**That it's all coming back to me**

**When I touch you like this**

**And you hold me like that**

**It's so hard to believe but**

**It's all coming back to me**

**It's all coming back, it's all coming back to me now**

**There were moments of gold**

**And there were flashes of light**

**There were things I'd never do again**

**But then they'd always seemed right**

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_"Hey Rachie!"_

_"Britt!" Rachel laughed as she the bouncing blonde approached her, lifting her from the ground as she gave her a bone crushing hug before putting her down. "How are you doing?"_

_"I'm great! We have Cheerio practice later this afternoon. Are you going to watch us?"_

_"Sorry, B. I can't. I have audition for Glee Club next week and I need to practice for that."_

_"But that's next week. You can totally practice during the weekends."_

_"Britt! Two days are not enough. I need longer preparation for this so that I can blow them away with my spectacular voice. It has to be perfect."_

_The tall blonde jutted her bottom lip, giving the diva her best puppy dog eyes. "We rarely see you anymore, Rachie. You don't eat lunch with us. You're always at the auditorium practicing. I only see you during our shared classes. I miss you already and it's making me so sad."_

_Rachel 'awwed' as she placed her arms around the tall blonde's neck. "Have I been MIA that long?"_

_"Uh-huh," Brittany answered as she placed her arms on the tiny brunette's waist. "Sanny and Quinnie have been really moody lately. They've been bantering non-stop and it's getting really annoying. I think it's because they miss you too."_

_"I'm sorry about that, B. I guess I'm just ecstatic about being on Glee. You know how I love being on stage."_

_"I understand that. But..." The tall blonde trailed off, tilting her head up as she purse her lips in thought as if contemplating on what to say._

_Rachel drew her eyebrows together as she stared at the blue eyed girl. She knew that look. It was the 'I wanna tell you something but you won't like it' look. She put her hand under Brittany's chin and turned the girl to meet her eyes. "What is it, Britt?"_

_Brittany pulled away from the starlet and stepped back. She threw a glance to the ground as she kicked the floor, putting her arms behind her._

_"Britt..."_

_"Why won't you join the squad, Rachel?"_

_Rachel would have rolled her eyes if only the tall blonde wasn't pouting and being all adorable. "B, not you too. Santana already talked to me about it. And though I can't resist that pout of yours..." This was really hard for her. She didn't want to disappoint her best friend and it would definitely break her heart to see the blonde sad…But she had her priorities! She needed to focus!_

_"When is the tryout?"_

_Damn that pout._

_"Yes!" Brittany pumped her fist in the air and once again pulled the diva in to a tight hug._

_Rachel rolled her head back as a contagious laugh escaped from her lips. Once the energetic blonde put her down, she met the tall blonde's gaze, getting lost in the endless blue staring back at her. A blush crept on her cheeks as Brittany tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear before resting her hand just below the diva's jaw line._

_Rachel's breath hitched, her body stiffening as she watched the tall blonde's face leaned closer to hers. She closed her eyes when she felt warm, wet lips touched her cheek._

_"Thanks, Rachie. This really means a lot to us."_

_From the corner of the empty hall, Rachel saw two other Cheerios smirking at them._

_'This isn't fair.'_

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**There were nights of endless pleasure**

**It was more than any laws allow**

**Baby Baby**

**If I kiss you like this**

**And if you whisper like that**

**It was lost long ago**

**But it's all coming back to me**

**If you want me like this**

**And if you need me like that**

**It was dead long ago**

**But it's all coming back to me**

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_"So, you finally decided to give cheering a try?"_

_Rachel closed her locker and crossed her arms, leaning against the cold metal as her eyes met with green ones. "Well, it was more like I was tricked."_

_"Oh? Is that so?" Quinn asked innocently, mirroring the diva's action and leaned against the locker._

_"Yeah. You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?"_

_Quinn shrugged, tapping her index finger on her cheek in thought. "I don't know. Does it have to do with a certain tall blonde girl with sparkling puppy blue eyes and irresistible pout?"_

_"Precisely."_

_"Oh. Well then, I don't know anything about that."_

_Rachel playfully narrowed her eyes to the now smirking blonde. "Of course you don't have anything to do with it, Q."_

_Quinn chuckled as she pulled the tiny diva closer to her. "Come on, Rach. Lighten up a bit."_

_"It's not fair, Quinn." Rachel stomped her foot and proceeded to do her own version of pouting. "You knew I couldn't resist Britt when she's being like that."_

_"Santana's fiery, sneaky ways didn't work on you so we decided to send Brittany to melt your heart."_

_"And what about you?"_

_Quinn's lips quirked in to a lopsided grin as she gave the diva an intense gaze. "Let's just say it's a good thing we didn't have to go there."_

_Rachel rolled her eyes and huffed but relaxed her body when she felt the blonde's hands lightly rubbing her arms in an up and down motion._

_"You're not upset, are you?"_

_The diva felt her knees weakened as the raspy voice reached her ears. It was low, as if whispering, and really...sexy. She could feel her brain cells exploding at the sudden change in the blonde's tone of voice, her senses heightened as Quinn stepped closer to her, their fronts almost touching._

_Then she remembered Quinn asked her a question._

_"Uh...I-I should be.."_

_Rachel stopped breathing altogether when she felt hands fisting on the hem of her shirt and tugged her forward, closing the distance between her and Quinn's._

_"Uhh..."_

_"What was that, Rach?"_

_Rachel shook her head weakly, her eyes being held captive by a pair of green ones. "N-nothing.."_

_Quinn smiled sweetly, tapping the diva's nose before inching her face a bit closer to Rachel's._

_"Now, aren't you glad Brittany was able to convince you before me? Because I sure know a lot of_ **_ways_ ** _to persuade you, Sweetie."_

_With that, Quinn winked and walked away, swaying her hips with more vigor, aware of the diva staring at her._

_Rachel had to pick her jaw up from the floor._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**But if I touch you like this**

**And if you kiss me like that**

**It was so long ago**

**But it's all coming back to me**

**If you touch me like this**

**And if I kiss you like that**

**It was gone with the wind**

**But it's all coming back to me**

**It's all coming back, it's all coming back to me now**

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**_Meet us before first period behind the bleachers_ ** _._ **_-Q_ **

_Rachel awoke that morning with Quinn's message without the usual good morning. There was no text from Britt and San as well which was very unusual. She also couldn't ignore the disturbing feeling at the pit of her stomach which only grew as she neared the football field._

_Something's going to happen that day. And it's not something good._

_She walked behind the bleachers and was surprised to see her best friends already waiting for her. The inauspicious feeling only increased when she was met with unpleasant features from the girls._

_And it scared her._

_"Hey guys!" Rachel chirped, her usual beaming smile plastered on her lips. She tried her best to ignore the ugly feeling in her guts._

_Silence._

_None of the girls met her eyes and her smile faltered. What the hell?_

_"Is everything okay?"_

_Another silence, and Rachel was beginning to lose her patience. Because the foreboding feeling at the pit of her stomach was worsening every second that the girls weren't talking._

_She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently. "Seriously guys. This isn't funny."_

_"They won't let you join the squad. Or even try out," Quinn said, her voice flat._

_Oh. So that's what's wrong. No biggie. She didn't really want to join in the first place._

_Then why was it that she didn't feel any relief from it?_

_"That's alright. The diva waved it off and smiled. "Come on guys. No need to feel bad about it. It's not a big deal."_

_The trio didn't say anything. Rachel observed her friends one by one. They were acting really strange. Quinn was looking at her with an unreadable expression which was beginning to creep her out. Santana was staring somewhere else with a faraway look in her eyes. Brittany had her eyes on the ground, an unusual frown visible on her face._

_"Is this what it's all about?"_

_"Don't you want to know why they won't let you join?" Santana asked, her gaze remained staring in to space._

_"Being me, I'm a little disappointed for not having been given a fair chance to show what I-"_

_"It's because you're gay! And that you're dads are gay. They didn't want anything to do with you."_

_Rachel was taken aback by the sudden outburst. The Latina was looking at her as she said those words. She could see her eyes filled with different emotions and the way those words left the Latina's lips were like daggers piercing through her heart. It was filled with judgment and fear that she never even imagined she would hear from any of her friends._

_She glanced at the other two blondes. Quinn kept her face void of any emotions while Brittany's lips trembled, fighting hard not to cry._

_They had always known about her dads. They accepted her when she came out to them. They were very supportive and understanding. She never pegged for them to be homophobes. So what the hell changed?_

_"I-I don't understand."_

_Santana snapped her head and looked at the diva incredulously. "What don't you understand, Rachel? The-"_

_Rachel held up a hand, stopping the Latina before she could say anything that could aggravate the situation. She was certain that the fiery cheerleader will._

_Santana's tone, the silence of the two blondes and the fact that they were having that conversation was very nettling. "I get it, okay? They are freaking homophobes. Nothing new there. I don't even know how they found out about me. But we are in Lima, Ohio. What else should I expect? Did you really think I didn't see this coming? I am not that naive!"_

_Rachel looked at each of the three girls in front of her, noticing how they flinched at her flare-up, as well as the pained expression on their features._

_"Now, what I can't understand is the fact that my three best friends, who practically grew up with me, are making this a big deal all of a sudden. What changed?" she paused to see any reactions from the girls before continuing, "What? We stepped in to high school and you're suddenly judging me now?"_

_"No! It's nothing like that, Rachel! Not even close!"_

_The tiny brunette turned her head to the Brittany who had been quiet the entire time. "Then please enlighten me because I just don't get it."_

_Once again, she was met with silence and it was infuriating. Because, hello! They were doing just fine until today. They never really talked about her gayness but it didn't stop them from being friends. What? Just because she couldn't be a Cheerio, they were all up about her homosexuality now? They didn't even mention Glee club this time!_

_And then something clicked. Of course. Of fucking course. Did she really have to ask? She had always believed this day would come. But it never occurred to her that it would be because of her chosen lifestyle._

_Even if she didn't choose to be a Gleek, she would still be an outcast. But she will never be ashamed of who she was, nor of her fathers._

_"Rachel..."_

_"No, Q. Just...no. I actually get it now," Rachel said with a humorless chuckle, looking up as she tried to stop the tears from falling. She bit her lip to hide its trembling._

_"Rachel, please..."_

_Hearing Brittany's shaking plea had done it. Rachel broke in to silent sobs as she slowly stepped back from three of the most important people in her life. With every step she took, the heaviness she felt it her heart grew bigger. And the pain was making it harder to breathe._

_Through blurry eyes, she looked at her friends, hoping that they would stop her. To tell her to stay. But they just stood there. And it hurt. Pain would be an understatement._

_They stood their ground and watched her as she slowly slipped away from their lives._

_On that same day, Rachel got her first dose of slushie facial in the hands of the three people who held her heart_.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

**It's so hard to resist**

**And it's all coming back to me**

**I can barely recall**

**But it's all coming back to me now**

**But it's all coming back**

**But you were history with the slamming of the door**

**And I made myself so strong again somehow**

**And I never wasted any of my time on you since then**

Rachel stopped playing as her voice tremble, closing her eyes as silent tears streamed down her face. It's been two years and yet, the pain she felt that day was as fresh as if it only happened yesterday. Something changed with her former best friends that day. Something had triggered them to act like that. She just knew it.

And after two years, she was yet to uncover that mystery.

But that incident didn't stop her from living. She had to admit. The first few months were hell for her. She would go home crying and sulking in her room. From every insult and slushie, she would go to the locker room and punched the wall until her hands felt numb just so she wouldn't cry. Then she would take a shower, dress up and go to class as if nothing happened. It went on until she made that deal with Puck. Months after that, she found comfort in the confines of the fight club.

It was a blessing in disguise. Who knew how lost she would be without it?

Rachel wiped her tears away as she tried to calm her nerves. She hovered her hands over the ivory keys again, the barely there scars on her knuckles catching her attention. She opened up her palm, feeling the slight roughness due to her hard training and working.

Maybe she did have manly hands no matter how small they were. The realization made her frown but she shook the thought away from her mind. She had other concerns to ponder on.

Like what she had witnessed at the restroom earlier that day. She really didn't see much of anything to end with a conclusion but her guts told her that there was definitely something there.

But then again, for the sake of her sanity, it's best for her not to dwell on it. Because, really? If she let her imagination completely take over her, it would be the death of her.

Once all coherent thoughts leave her brain, all she could think about was two blondes and a brunette, lying naked on a bed, limbs tangled together. And, well, that's just...yeah.

Rachel ran a hand over her hair as she chuckled lightly to herself. How could her mind go from sad memories to going down the gutter? Maybe receiving too many punches on her head was doing damage to her brain.

Her thought were interrupted when the bell rang. She gathered her things and made her way out of the auditorium.

Unbeknownst to the diva, three pairs of eyes had been watching her from the dark all this time.


	7. Chapter 6

Rachel groaned in relief and in pain as she submerged her body in the warm bath. Her muscles ached all over, her bruises throbbing in pain. The fight last Friday really left her beaten. She spent the whole day yesterday lying in bed because of it. And now, she's contemplating if she should spend her Sunday the same way as well. But despite the pain and stiffness in her muscles, her body and mind was craving for a work out.

Plus, there's Puck she had to worry about too.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

_As usual, Rachel did her warm up on the corner of the room as she prepared for her turn in the ring. From the crowd, she spotted Jesse walking towards her direction. They had developed some sort of acquaintanceship since the night they had their first (and only) face off almost a month ago. They had kept in touch and at some point, she had introduced him to her dads (he was very persuasive). She found out that Jesse was actually a 'fan' of her Dad and wanted to seek for 'guidance'. Since then, they had been training together, which was a welcoming change in their routine._

_"Hey, Superstar."_

_Oh thank God for the name change. That was name she really intended to use, but for some reason, she got stuck with Berry freaking Jr. Some people still called her that just to get her all riled up._

_Damn it._

_"Jesse, I hope all is well," Rachel greeted as she completed her bench pushups._

_Jesse rolled his eyes at the way the girl was speaking to her. It felt so out of place considering they were in a fight club. A little informality from the petite girl would be refreshing._

_"Everything's good. Nothing feels better than kicking some arrogant ass who believes that just because he’s bigger, he could put me down easily. I mean, seriously. I was more than happy to wipe that smugness off his face. I was tempted to shave off that pathetic mohawk too while his face was planted on the floor."_

_This time, it was Rachel's turn to roll her eyes. Typical Jesse. She was tempted to remind him that it was exactly the same thing she did to him the first night they met. And then the last thing he said hit her._

_Mohawk? It couldn't possibly be him right? He may be the only mohawk boy she knew, but he's definitely not the only one who found the ridiculous haircut 'appealing to chicks', as he would put it, in all Lima. But she found herself asking Jesse anyway._

_"What's his name?"_

_Jesse was about to reply when Rachel's name was called out to the ring, ending their conversation._

_"Good luck, Berry Jr."_

_Rachel turned to her smirking friend with a glare, and then puffed out her chest. "I don't need luck."_

_-o-o-o-o-_

_Rachel sucked on her bleeding lip then wiped the blood streaming down the side of her face from the wound on her right brow. Maybe she did need luck. This was, by far, the toughest fight she had ever been since she was introduced to fight club. Even her initiation couldn't compare to this._

_She resumed a fighting stance while thinking of a strategy to not get knocked unconscious. Because right now, she didn't think she could take another blow. She eyed her opponent. He was twice her size, although that didn't stop her before. But he was skilled as well. Almost as skilled as her, if not more. Rachel frowned at the thought. Being the competitive that she was, there was no way she would lose this fight without giving her all._

_She could see him breathing heavily too. She was able to land a few good punches and kicks on him. She was pretty sure she broke his nose since she could see him breathing through his mouth. She smirked at this. She narrowed her eyes at him, preparing for his next move._

_The plan was simple. Do not get hit and target the head. From the looks of it, her opponent was just as exhausted as she was, but his difficulty to breathe was her edge against him. She just needed to be wary of his tactics. She knew he was aware of the situation, and if he was smart enough, he'd be more alert and guarded._

_Luckily for her, she just knew how to push the right buttons for him to lose his composure and distract him enough to have an opening._

_Rachel smirked, that trademark smirk she only reserved for her fights. It was taunting, and the look on her eyes accompanied with that quirk of her lips was enough to make anyone's blood boil._

_She met her opponent's eyes and scoffed. "So, is that all you've got? Seriously. My 80 year old grandmother could hit harder than that."_

_"Oh? Is that why you're bleeding all over your face?"_

_"What? This?" Rachel pointed at her face and rolled her eyes. "Oh please! I deal with this every day. It doesn't even hurt at all. Actually, you hit like a girl." There were a few snickers from the crowd. She could already see a vein almost popping out of his head. And her smirk grew wider. "I am actually quite insulted that I am paired up with you. And to think that they believed you are one of the best. I am very disappointed. This is like--"_

_"Bitch!" The man growled and launched at Rachel._

_And a fighter who let anger overwhelm them would always be their downfall._

_Rachel stood her ground and wait for the incoming blow. She put her game face on. She would own this. He would be kissing the floor any moment now. She knew annoying people with her verbosity had its advantage._

_She ducked, blocked and sidestepped all the punches and kicks that were thrown at her. Just one wrong move...that's all she needed. Just one and..._

_"Rachel?!"_

_Oh blast. Why did she turn her head away from the enemy?_

_The last thing that registered in her mind was the sharp pain that shot through her stomach, the strong blow on her temporal area and somebody calling her name before everything went black._

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel groaned at the memory of her humiliating defeat. Not only was her body terribly battered, but her ego was shattered and hurt more than any physical blow she had ever received. She was knocked out for five minutes! Thank god her Daddy was home to patch her up, making sure she didn't suffer from a concussion.

And that was definitely not how she had pictured Puck finding out about her secret hobby. She knew it was bound to come though. Since the football incident with Finn and the sudden, unexplained breakup with Santana (which she was still deciding if she should be ecstatic or sad about) last month, Puck had been hanging out with her more often, both deciding to just stop caring about everyone in school even if the student body seemed to be thinking she was the reason of the breakup.

Ppff. As if. It’s funny how they torture her every day for being gay and yet, they still involve her with heterosexual relationships. That didn’t even make sense.

They never really talked about the obvious elephant in the room that night, but the next morning, her ‘Jewbro’ bombarded her with text messages and calls, annoying the hell out of her until she decided to just switch off her phone.

Today, however, she won’t be able to dodge her boy best friend when he decided to just step in her room unannounced and went straight to the bathroom.

“Noah! What the hell are you doing here?!”

The Mohawk boy stopped on his tracks, stared at the naked girl in the tub with his mouth open and leered a little before a bottle of shampoo hit his head, followed by another one and another one.

“Ow! Stop it!” Puck said as he retreated back in the room, closing the bathroom door to protect himself from flying shampoo and soap. “Damn,” He sighed, touching his forehead and sat down on the bed.

The bathroom door opened and a scowling, towel-clad brunette came out, closing the distance between her and the unexpected intruder with long, quick strides and repeatedly smacked the back of his head.

“What” *smack* “the” *smack* “hell” *smack* “Noah!” *smack*

“Ouch! Stop hitting me woman!” Puck exclaimed as he stumbled away from the fuming brunette. “You’re not the only one who’s sore!” He then proceeded to examine Rachel, trying his best to ignore the fact that she was only wearing a towel, and frowned. “Well, I’m sore. You, on the other hand, look like shit.”

Rachel huffed and rolled her eyes. “Yeah. All thanks to you.”

 “I’m really sorry about that.” Puck said, rubbing the back of his neck and looked down guiltily.

Rachel’s features softened and wave her hand in dismissal. “Don’t worry about that. I understand how shock you must be to see me there.”

Puck scoffed. “Shock would be an understatement.”

Rachel chuckled, walking towards her closet to pull out a pair of underwear and clothes. “I am certain you have a lot of questions you want to ask me, and based on how you showered me with a lot of calls and text messages yesterday, you won’t leave me alone unless I explained everything to you.” She paused before going to the bathroom to look at her friend who only nodded.

A few minutes later, she came out wearing a tank top and sweats. “A walk would be nice for this conversation.” She grabbed her jacket and placed a baseball cap on her head in a poor attempt to cover her injuries.

Twenty minutes later, the duo found themselves sitting quietly on a park bench while Puck try to absorb Rachel’s story. It was sunny and since it was Sunday, the park was full. They talked; all the while Puck was busy ogling some joggers. Rachel tried to hide her own ogling behind her baseball cap.

 She really needed to stop hanging around Puckerman too much. It was getting to her.

“So, you’ve been doing this shit for almost two years now?”

“That’s what I said.”

“I should be mad at you for hiding that from me for that long.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “I told you. It’s not about not trusting you. We’re just not supposed to talk about it. And since you’ve been there, I trust that you won’t say anything about what happened there.”

“Of course. What do you think of me? I’m no blabbermouth.”

“Good. And that brings me to our next topic. It’s only fair since I told you about me, you should tell me about yours too. Why were you there?”

Rachel waited patiently as she watched the Mohawk boy gather his thoughts.

“This isn’t about Santana, is it?” Okay. So patience wasn’t really her best virtue. “Because if it is, maybe I can talk to her? I mean I know I’m not the best person for the job considering how much she despise me, which I still find ridiculous since I haven’t done anything to her, but--”

“Rach, stop. Seriously. Why would you go there?”

“Oh. So, it’s not about Santana?”

“Course not. I told you we weren’t really in to labels. We were never that serious anyway. Well, she did bruise my ego for breaking up with me. I mean, really. Who in their right mind would break up with the Puckasaurus?”

Rachel looked at him incredulously. “We are talking about the same Santana Lopez, right?”

 “Apparently. Seems like she’s the only one immune with my charm,” Puck mumbled with a frown. “Oh, Quinn and Brittany too. Damn. What is wrong with those chicks? They are the hottest girls in school and yet, they wouldn’t want to tap this.”

Rachel stared at Puck in disgust as he gestured to himself. “Okay, first of all, Quinn and Brittany already have boyfriends. Second, said boyfriends are your _friends_. So don’t even go there Noah. Third, Santana is Quinn’s and Britt’s best friend. Do you really think they’d still want to ‘tap’ _that_ seeing as you are their best friend’s ex? I’ve seen you try Noah. And believe me, it’s a little disturbing.”

“Did you just insult the Puckasaurus?”

Of course. Of all the things Rachel said, that’s what he paid more attention to. “Anyway, you’re deflecting.”

“I wasn’t. _You_ opened it up.”

“Are you going to tell me now then?”

Pucks sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “He’s back in town.”

Rachel blinked and cautiously asked, “Who is?”

“Dad.”

“Oh. _Him_. Since when?”

“Yesterday. He just came back acting as if nothing happened. Bastard.”

“He’s staying at your house?”

Puck smirked, his eyes glowing in mirth. “When I came home Friday night, I watched my mom chase him with my baseball bat. And I gotta say, I’ve never been so proud of my mama before. I actually cried. It was fucking badass!”

"Well, that seems to run in the family."

The two brunettes were silent for a moment, simply appreciating their environment. Rachel wanted to say more about the situation. She had no idea if Puck finding out about her would do any difference. She had faith in Puck and she trusted him with her life. Still...

“I really appreciate you're taking this lightly, Noah. Although I try not to make a big deal out of this, you do realize the seriousness of this...activity. It's called Underground for a reason."

"I'm not stupid, Rach. I know how this shit works. You are talking to Noah Puckerman, the resident badass. I got this shit. Your secret is safe with me, babe." Puck assured her with a wink and his signature smirk. "I gotta say though, you and fight club? Totally hot."

Rachel laughed, playfully punching his arm. "I'm still wary that you are being calm about this. I was expecting you'd be like, telling me how dangerous it is and stop me from ever going back there."

Puck chuckled. "Believe me, that's what I was planning to do especially after what happened last Friday. You fucking scared me there. But after hearing your story? I'm pretty sure you can handle that shit yourself, Jewbabe. I'm just not expecting it. You're different when we're in school, you know."

Rachel took a deep breath and pulled her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "How am I different? My involvement in fight club doesn't define me, Noah. It doesn't change anything either. Just because I know how to kick ass, I should carry myself differently. Even before fight club, I've always been that little Jewish girl who has a passion for singing and music, and gets bullied at a daily basis."

"And that's what I don't get. As much as I hate to admit it, you are even more of a badass than I am, Rach. I don't know why you tolerate their shit."

"You do remember what happened last time, right? Finn Hudson? I kicked ass and I got slushie shower for the whole week. Oh and a new nick name too. You've heard of manhands before, right?" Rachel deadpanned.

Puck winced at the memory. “Damn. Some fucked up school we have.”

“Do I need to remind you how much you used to love it?”

“Yeah. Well, it gets tiring after a while. Besides, after that stunt last Friday? I’m seeing you in a new light, Jewbro. No way you’re getting rid of me.” Puck said as he nudged her with his shoulder. “We needed a new bonding activity, anyway.”

Rachel frowned. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Totally.”

“But—”

“Hey look! It’s the girls!”

Rachel looked up and froze in her spot when she realized who the girls Puck was pointing at. Before Rachel could say anything, he was already on his way to approach them. She couldn’t hear what they were talking about but she could see Puck pointing at her direction with his thumb. She adjusted her cap, feeling conscious when three sets of eyes glanced her way and she sat up straight when they began walking towards her.

Soon enough, three figures were hovering over her while Puck reclaimed his position beside Rachel.

"Hi Rachel!"

"Hey Brittany." Rachel smiled at the very enthusiastic blonde and gave Santana and Quinn a polite nod. "Quinn. Santana."

"Berry."

"Hello Rachel."

Rachel felt her heart soar because this moment was one of those rare times where they greeted her without being insulted. She felt giddy all of a sudden. She could feel her facial muscles complaining due to her bruises and her lips were probably bleeding again from being stretched too much. But it wasn't enough to remove the smile on her face.

It's been a while since they had acknowledged her presence again. They had been ignoring her existence for weeks. No insults. No slushies. Not even a glance or a glare at her direction. There was nothing. And right now, she wasn't really sure what to feel about it. Yes, they weren't very nice to her. But somehow, the masochistic side of her wished that they would look at her again even if it meant making her high school life a living hell. At least she wasn’t completely invisible.

She didn’t know what hurt her more; having the attention accompanied by taunts, or the silence of being treated like a ghost?

Rachel was aware of the conversation taking place but chose to tune them out. Taking advantage of her cap, she took the time to scrutinize the girls in front of her and she swallowed hard.

Gah. Puck was definitely rubbing off on her.

The girls were wearing the shortest short ever invented and tight tops that hugged their bodies like second skin.

Wow. When did it get so hot? Suddenly she became aware of her clothes. Why was she wearing jacket again? The sun was freaking high and she's wearing sweats and a jacket? Jesus. And this cap...it was making her head itchy. When was the last time she washed this freaking cap?

Without thinking, she removed her cap and sighed in relief with the comfort of feeling the air on her hair.

"Jesus Berry! What the fuck happened to your face?"

Crap.

"Oh. This is nothing." Rachel waved it off as she quickly wore the cap again, cursing her hormones for affecting her brain functions. "Hey!"

Santana yanked the cap off of Rachel and stared at her incredulously. "You call that nothing? Seriously. You look like shit!"

"Thank you, Santana," Rachel deadpanned as she grabbed her cap back from the Latina.

"Rachel, what happened?"

Only Quinn could make a statement soft and calm, yet there was power in it that you would find yourself succumbing from it. Well, at least that's how Rachel felt about it.

"We had a misunderstanding so we decided to settle it like a ma-...uh...like how we Jewbros do it." Puck explained before Rachel could say anything.

The diva glanced at the boy beside him, looking at him with pride in her eyes. It did make sense I a crazy, absurd way.

"So you beat the crap out of her?" Brittany exclaimed in disbelief. "Look at her! She's so small."

Rachel turned her head back to the tall blonde and was about to resent the statement but changed her mind when she saw the pout and teary eyes on the blonde’s face. Awww.

"You're hitting girls now, Puckerman?" Quinn asked between clenched teeth, her hands placed on her hips. The HBIC was so on.

"Of course not! At least not on purpose. Rachel and I had an agreement about this which would stay between the two of us. Right, Rach?"

"Yes. I agree." Rachel was beaming at her boy best friend now. She had never been so thankful for having him in her life. "That being said, we would appreciate it if you would respect the confidentiality of our agreement."

Puck hummed and nodded.

"What was so fucking serious about your misunderstanding that you would hurt Berry like this, Puckerman? I know you better than that."

"Hey! She got a couple of hits on me too. And it was about this chick, okay? You wouldn't understand."

Rachel's smiles was gone, her jaw dropped and her eyes widen as she stared at Puck as if he had grown a third eye.

What the actual fuck?

There was silence. The only noise that could be heard was the blowing of the wind, chirping of the birds and the children playing in the park.

"Y-you fought over a...girl?"

Rachel couldn't decipher the tone on Quinn's voice. She really couldn't. All she could think about right now was how she would shave the remaining hair on Puck's head. Should she tie him up? Or sneak in to his room during his sleep?

"Yeah. Like I said, you wouldn't understand. It's between us. Isn't that right, Rach?"

No. It's not right you moron. Nothing was alright. Oh god. She felt like bursting into tears. She had never been this embarrassed in her life. The slushie facials paled in comparison. Because, really? What the fuck was that?

"Rachel, I can't believe you would risk breaking your nose for a girl."

“Brittany, that’s absurd!”

“Yeah! She wasn’t just a girl! She was flaming hot!”

“So not what I meant, Noah.”

“Whatever. You guys are fucking crazy. Really hobbit? You’d do that for chick? Puckerman maybe. But you?” Santana spat while pointing a finger at the diva.

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t talk to her like that. You don’t know what my Jewbabe here can do. She can practically get any girl she wants. You just see!” Puck defended, placing a protective arm around Rachel, squeezing her as if telling them just how proud he was of her.

Rachel grimaced. Oh god. Puck and his big mouth.

“Oh definitely. I’d like to see her try. There’s a reason she’s at the bottom of the totem pole.”

Okay. The giddy feeling was totally gone. Did Quinn just insult her?

“Low blow, Fabray.”

Quinn scoffed and turned to her two companions. “Whatever. Come on guys. Let’s hit the mall.”

The duo watched as the three girls walked away without a second glance.

“Ow!” Puck held his arm where Rachel’s fist made contact.

“Really, Puckerman? REALLY?!”

“What?”

“Thank you for giving them more ammunition to taunt me.”

“It got them off your ass, didn’t it?”

“Yes. But must you go that low? I’m sure they’re clutching their stomachs right now from laughing so hard. They must be thinking how desperate I am to get a girlfriend that I would fight my own best friend!” Rachel exclaimed with her arms flying around.

“You’re being dramatic, Princess. They are the top bitches in school. They will always find a way to make fun of you. No help needed.”

“Ugh. You’re insufferable. I’m done with this conversation.”

“Hey! Where are you going?” Puck asked as he stood up to follow the short brunette.

“Home. This experience is really draining me out. I need to get much needed rest in order for me to survive school tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah. Of course.”

Rachel shoved her hands in the pocket of her jacket. She could sense that the Mohawk boy wanted to say something but she was too tired to acknowledge it. She hoped he would take her silence as a cue that she did not want to talk. And that’s saying something.

“So...”

Nop. Apparently he was too oblivious with her mood.

“About getting you a girlfriend.”

“No, Noah. Just...no.”

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

The three girls settled in Brittany’s car, with the tall blonde behind the wheel while Santana took the passenger seat and Quinn sat at the back. Brittany started the car just as the ‘Jew Brothers’ exited the park. They watched as the duo passed by the car.

“I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that I don’t believe a shit that came out of Puckerman’s mouth.”

Brittany giggled while Quinn rolled her eyes with a huff as they pulled out of the parking lot.

“Of course. Who would believe that crap anyway? Puck will never lay a finger on Rachel. I mean, did you see her face?”

“He threw a fit when Finn hit her with a freaking football. I don’t think he had the heart to hurt Rachie.”

“Something is definitely up with those two.”

Santana turned to Quinn and narrowed her eyes. “I know that tone. What do you have in mind?”

The Head Cheerio smiled sweetly but didn’t respond. Instead, she leaned forward and pecked the Latina’s lips then turned to the driver’s seat to kiss the tall blonde’s cheek.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

**Hey. -Q**

Rachel furrowed her brows as she stared at the screen of her phone. She contemplated on how she would comprehend on that one word message from the Head Cheerio.

**Hello, Quinn. I hope you are having a nice evening. I'm sorry but I do believe you sent your message to the wrong person. -*R**

It wasn't like Quinn to message her out of the blue. Before she could place the phone on her desk, believing that the blonde won't text back, she felt it vibrate on her hand.

**You are Rachel Berry, right? -Q**

Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline as she read the message. Indeed. Quinn Fabray just texted her.

**No.**

Rachel didn't know where the sudden playfulness came from but she couldn't help but smile at the idea of an irritated blonde on the other end.

**Seriously? I have your number since fifth grade. Oh. And in case you didn't notice, you just signed your first text with '*R'. The rant was a dead giveaway too. -Q**

Ignoring the other details, her heart swelled at the thought that although they had separated their ways, Quinn still kept her number.

**That aside, to whom do I owe the pleasure of a text from Ms. Quinn Fabray? -*R**

**Huh. You make it sound special. How are you? -Q**

Rachel purse her lips as she tried her best not to think too much of the message. The idea of Quinn texting her was surprising enough. And now, it seemed like she's actually trying to make a conversation.

It was just...mind-boggling.

**I'm doing quite well. Thank you for asking. What about you? -*R**

**Good. Just having a movie night with B and S. -Q**

Rachel couldn't help the hurt and jealousy she felt, remembering those days when she would spend the nights watching movies with the girls. The feeling of being left out was back all of a sudden.

**I see. That's nice. Well, it's a school night. I'm about to go to sleep now. Good night Quinn. Send my regards to Santana and Brittany. Don't stay up so late. -*R**

Without waiting for a reply, Rachel placed her phone on the stand, turned off the lights and pulled the covers over her body with a heavy heart, memories of the past overwhelming her not for the first time in two years.

-o-o-o-o-

Meanwhile, at the Fabray residence, the three girls were snuggling in Quinn's bed while watching Little Mermaid (Brittany's choice), peeking at Quinn's phone every now and then to read the diva's messages.

Santana groaned as she snatched the phone away from the Cheerio Captain.

"Q, baby, seriously. I love you and all, but I think you just killed your conversation with Rachel before it even started."

The shorter blonde frowned and rolled her eyes. She sighed in irritation, chastising herself for being careless. One thing she hated the most was when people point out her mistakes though.

"I know! It was a moment of temporary lapse of judgment. I wasn't thinking."

"Clearly."

Quinn scowled as she tried to snatch her phone back, but Brittany beat her to it and was now reading Rachel's last message.

"Aww. I think you just hurt her feelings, Quinn."

"You do realize that she used to be a part of these sleepovers, right? And now she's not anymore. And you just rubbed it on her face."

Normally, Quinn would have retorted to that. But the softness and the lack of ferocity in the Latina's voice stopped her. And she sighed in defeat.

"I know."

Their situation with Rachel hadn't improved at all. It's been weeks since they had any form of contact with the little diva. The three of them decided to back off a little bit while they think of a way to get to her without her getting freaked out. They realized that being nice all of a sudden would only cause her to get suspicious and question their motives.

They needed to earn her trust and they were moving in a slow, cautious manner. They were treading on thin ice. They had no idea what Rachel's thoughts were regarding their 'broken ties'. But based from their limited interactions with the diva, they were pretty sure she held some bitter feelings towards them. Something they couldn't blame the tiny diva for. Whenever they were around her, she would look at them with caution, watching them with skeptical eyes.

They were well aware of Rachel's forgiving nature, but she certainly wasn't stupid either.

Their first move was to call off the slushie attacks. Being the top bitches have its perks. That being said, they were never questioned with how they like to run things in their little kingdom.

At least not on their faces.

However, in order to avoid suspicions as much as possible, they had completely restricted the use of slushie facials to everybody, not just Rachel. Slushies were now under the category of PRN, meaning it would only be done if necessary. And by necessary, it meant only if it was ordered by the Unholy Trinity.

Santana and Quinn were still working on their attitudes towards the diva. They couldn't help but fall in to character of being tormentors whenever other people were watching, especially in school. It was something they had developed as a defense mechanism to protect their own relationship. It was the only way to stay on top. Be a bitch to everybody.

So far, they had not been successful if what happened at the park earlier was any indication. But in their defense, Puck was beginning to annoy the hell out of them.

Come to think of it, it was really funny how everyone would crumble on their feet as they march down the hallway of McKinley. And yet, behind the bitchy façade were three little girls who were afraid of being judged by those same people who were below them.

If only they were strong enough to stand on their own feet...

If only they didn’t listen to the voices around them...

Maybe…Just maybe, they wouldn’t have to lose the only person who had looked at them with nothing but love and sincerity in her brown, innocent eyes.

"So, is this your secret awesome plan of getting her to talk to you about who really beat her up? Sending her text messages?"

Quinn quirked her brow and smirked, "S, baby, I love you and all, but you seem to be forgetting the reason why _I'm_ the Head Cheerio. This is just the start. I _will_ find out who it is. And they better hope they don't go to McKinley because _we_ will definitely make sure they will be the new outlets of frustrated jocks and cheerleaders."

"Mmhh. You're so hot when you go HBIC like that," Brittany murmured as she crawled on top of the shorter blonde.

“Yeah?” Quinn whispered in her husky voice, the smirk never leaving her lips as she placed both hands on Brittany’s hips.

Brittany hummed silently, placing her hands on each side of her captain’s head. Putting her weight on her arms, she leaned closer, her lips almost touching Quinn’s.

Quinn bit her lower lips in anticipation. She gasped, her eyes closing involuntarily when she felt Brittany’s tongue tracing her lips before crashing their lips in a hard passionate kiss. She couldn’t help the soft moan that escaped her lips at the unexpected intensity of the kiss.

Santana turned her body sideways as she plopped on one elbow on the bed, resting her head on her palm, a shit eating grin on her face as she watched her hot blonde girlfriends make out in front of her. Just as she thought things couldn’t get any better than this, she felt Quinn grabbed the back of her head for an earth shattering kiss that completely blew her mind.

Yes. They were terrified with the world outside their own little bubble. And yes, they would always have each other despite of that fear. And it should have been enough.

And yet, they couldn’t ignore that one particular empty spot in their hearts that made them feel incomplete; a spot that could only be filled by one person.

And they would get her.

They would fucking have her no matter.

One thing the three of them have in common; they always get what they want. Always.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Unlike her usual day, Rachel walked the halls of McKinley with her shoulders dropped and a frown on her face. Despite her best attempts to get enough rest yesterday, she failed horribly if the dark rings around her eyes were any indication. Puck wouldn’t leave her alone. He was simply fascinated and _determined_ with the idea of getting her a ‘flaming hot’ girlfriend.

Which was just ridiculous.

However, the exchange of messages with Quinn had triggered her to travel back to memory lane, despite her efforts to put it back to which ever part of her brain she had it buried a long time ago. That didn’t work though. It kept her uncomfortable and restless all night. Many questions came rushing through her mind, questions that she had been asking herself for the past two years now.

What happened between them?

Had she done something wrong?

Would she be able to salvage their friendship if only she had fought for them instead of silently accepting defeat without a fight?

She never really did put up a fight. She just let them slip away or it was her who slipped away from them. She wasn’t really sure anymore. The first sting of flavored ice on her face and the first verbal assault that had rolled over Quinn’s tongue had left her feeling betrayed and angry and hurt, clouding her better judgment. She had never questioned them. No confrontations were made.

And when the anger and bitterness had subsided, that was when she began to think clearly. What happened that made their world turned upside down? She had anticipated, no, more like dreaded, changes in high school but she never thought it would severe their relationship this bad. She was expecting along the lines of being ‘secret friends’ or ‘we can’t be seen together in school because it would ruin the balance but you can still hang out with us outside of school and have sleepovers’.

But to totally cut off their ties and hurt her purposely? She never saw that one coming.

And she tried to be the better person through it all. She tried really hard to read between the lines, to see beyond their actions. And after two years, she still couldn’t understand the girls’ sudden change of hearts towards her. She was on the verge of giving up.

That was until last summer and the beginning of this school year happened. The girls were less vicious now. They were nice to her even, except for the random insults but nothing as aggressive as before. And for the past few weeks, Rachel’s life had been peaceful with the lack of slushie attacks and verbal assaults from the trio.

Another mystery she needed to solve. The girls had gone from cold to hot and then cold again.

Ugh. Incoming migraine.

“Rachel!”

Fuck. Oops. She meant Puck.

“What do you want, Noah?” Rachel asked, not even trying to hide her irritation as she put books in her locker.

“So, listen, we had football practice this morning...” Puck began, completely ignoring the brunette’s foul mood.

Rachel rolled her eyes, attempting to tune out whatever the boy was saying but the mention of certain Cheerios piqued her interest.

“I’m sorry?”

Puck frowned at her. “I said the girls came to me after football practice. They just barged in the boy’s locker room. Really hot by the way. But when they got to me things went really crazy.”

“What happened?”

“Well, they were all sweet and flirty at first and they completely ignored Sam and Finn. But then suddenly Quinn was asking me about what really happened to you and shit. That was when things got crazy as fucked when I didn’t tell them anything. Santana and Quinn went batshit crazy, threatening me and all those crap. It was scary as hell, Rach. I barely made it out!”

Rachel stared at him blankly. And they said she’s dramatic. “So, I guess it’s safe to assume they didn’t believe your crappy story yesterday? I’m not really surprised.”

“They have this idea that it was impossible for me to actually hurt my Jewbro.”

The diva chuckled as she looped her arm with Puck, leaning on him as they walk to class. “Of course. You are a softy when it comes to me.”

Puck playfully glared at the tiny brunette. “That I am. But if you tell anyone that, I will deny it.”

“I wonder why they are so concerned about what happened to me.”

Puck shrugged. “No idea. But just to be safe, I am staying as far away from them as possible. Scary Quinn combined with feisty Santana is hot as hell. But it’s not fun when they are after you. I didn’t even know Brittany could actually pull off that kind of glare until I saw it today. It was creepy.”

Oh you have no idea how scary Brittany could be.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

 “Noah, what are you doing here?”

“Hiding.”

“In the choir room?”

“Yeah. This is the least place they expected me to be.”

“Who exactly?”

Puck groaned. “Your _best friends_. They’ve been hunting me _all day_.”

Rachel looked skeptical as she sat at the piano bench beside her best friend who was holding his guitar. It was lunch time and she had been having a terrible day. She came to the choir room to eat her prepared lunch and was hoping to loosen up a bit by practicing. Maybe it would help her alleviate her migraine since the medication wasn’t helping her.

“Why would they be hunting you?”

Puck shrugged. “I don’t know. I think they’re still hung up with the idea of someone hurting their little Rachel,” he said in a teasing manner as he nudged Rachel.

“Ha ha. Hilarious.”

Puck’s brows knitted together as he looked at the tiny brunette in concern. “Didn’t get much sleep?”

Rachel sighed and glanced at Puck apologetically. “You can say that. I had a really rough night and I am now suffering from a mild migraine, therefore prohibiting me from focusing on anything school related as well as placing me in a very foul mood. The looks I’ve been getting from everyone only made it worse for me. I forego applying make up to my injuries this morning since I feel too tired to even care. And now I regret doing just that. So, I do apologize if I’m anything but warm to you.”

 “Uh-huh.”

“Found you!”

The duo jumped in surprise as an energetic blonde came bouncing in the room.

“Brittany!”

“Hey Rachie!” The tall blonde waved at the diva cheerfully then turned serious when she looked at the other occupant in the room. “Puck.”

Puck surprisingly shivered at the tone in a way that he thought only Quinn could do. He recoiled at the sharp look he was receiving from the usually sweet blonde and scooted closer to the girl beside him.

Brittany held her phone towards her ear. “Choir room.”

A few minutes later, another two scowling girls in red and black uniform came striding in the room. Quinn’s and Santana’s face softened when they saw the girl sitting beside Puck.

“Rachel. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Really?” Rachel looked at the Head Cheerios in disbelief.

Quinn chucked as she realized what she just said. “Right. Of course. We were actually looking for Puck.”

The mohawk boy shifted from his seat, getting uncomfortable with the looks he was getting from the cheerleaders.

“So I’ve heard,” Rachel said in a calm manner as she placed a comforting hand on Puck’s thigh. “However, we are currently in the middle of practicing our duet for our next meeting in Glee. Right, Noah?”

“Uh...Yeah. We’re busy with Glee stuff.”

An idea struck Rachel. “You should come. You girls have beautiful voices and very good dancers. You should make use of it other than cheering. I’m sure you can reach your maximum potential if you do both.”

“As if,” Puck mumbled to himself but the glare he got from the girls proved that they had heard him.

Quinn shared a look with the other two girls. And a decision was made. “Yeah. Maybe we will.”

Rachel beamed and her headache was forgotten. “Great! Glee club will be meeting tomorrow after school. I’ll see you guys there.”

The smile that made way on the diva’s face was enough to convince the trio. They were definitely joining Glee club now.

High school hierarchy be damned.

As they made their exit, Brittany looked over her shoulders, narrowing her eyes on the boy with a Mohawk. “I’ll see you at the field after school, Puckerman.”

And the duo was left alone again in the choir room.

“Santana and Quinn were definitely rubbing off on her.”

Rachel stared at him. “You think?”

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

 “Are we really joining Glee?” Santana asked as they made their way towards their lockers.

“I really don’t want to disappoint Rachie.”

“Q?”

Quinn sighed. This was a good opportunity for them to get closer to Rachel though. If they joined Glee, they would now have a common ground that would connect them with the diva. Why didn’t they think of that before?

Oh yeah. Coach Sylvester loathed Glee club.

But Rachel...

“Yes. We are, S.”

“Yay!” Brittany cheered as she enveloped her girlfriends in a bone crushing hug before turning her attention to her locker.

“Q, you know Coach will throw a fit if she finds out, right?”

Quinn smirked as an idea struck her. “Not if we tell her what she wanted to hear.”

Santana crossed her arms and a fine eyebrow quirked at the amusing tone of the blonde Cheerio’s voice. “Oh? And what do you have in mind, dear Captain?”


	8. Chapter 7

“Hold up. Let me get this straight, Q,” Santana started as she made herself comfortable in Brittany’s bed, the tall blonde resting her head on the Latina’s lap. They went straight to the taller blonde’s house as soon as practice was over to prepare for their audition in Glee the next day. “The plan is to tell Coach that the reason we will join Glee club is that so we can attack from the inside, right?”

Quinn hummed as she distractedly type in Brittany’s laptop.

“Right. And we do that by...targeting Rachel? How does that work?”

Quinn sighed and made her way towards the bed, sitting down beside the Latina who was lazily running her hands on Brittany’s hair. She looked at her girlfriends who were staring at her expectantly.

“I know it’s absurd since we are joining Glee to be close to Rachel. But Coach wouldn’t accept that. She won’t accept any viable reason for her top Cheerios to join the crowd of misfits. Unless we are set to kill and destroy.”

“Why Rachel?”

“I really don’t want to hurt her more than we already have, Quinn.”

Quinn looked at the pouting Brittany, smiling at how small the girl sounded like. “We’re not going to hurt her, baby. Not anymore,” she reassured the tall Cheerio and turned her attention back to the frowning Latina. “And everybody knows Rachel is the heart and mind of Glee. She’s the one keeping the club alive. Even Coach knows that.” She paused to meet each of the girls’ eyes. “To Sylvester’s ears, it’s going to be a plot made in hell. It’s heartless and evil. Just the way she likes it.”

“It’s all hypothetical of course,” Quinn added when she saw the frown on Brittany’s face.

“Yeah. we get that, Quinn. But how do we do it without actually doing it?”

The Cheerio captain stared at the inquisitive blue eyes and shrugged.

Santana narrowed her eyes. “Sylvester will _demand_ results. She is not the type to wait around for something to happen. She _will_ find out it’s all for show. She can be anything but stupid,” Santana paused to look straight at the Head Cheerio. “You know that, right?”

Quinn shrugged, “Of course.”

Santana waited for the shorter blonde to continue talking, but nothing came. Silence engulfed them until Brittany spoke and realization dawned onto them.

“You don’t have a _real_ plan, do you Fabray?”

Quinn grinned sheepishly. “Honestly? No. And all I can think about right now is what are we going to perform for the audition tomorrow. I really want to do this for Rach.”

Santana shook her head in disbelief, a small smile playing on her lips. “Sylvester’s going to be so pissed about this.”

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel sat on her usual spot in the choir room, her hands clasped tightly above her lap as she stared at the door. She tried to act indifferent but deep inside, she was a bundle of nerves. Today was the day that the three cheerleaders were supposed to audition _if_ ever they decided to show. Although she was anticipating that they would come but there’s still a part of her that couldn’t help but have doubts.

“You okay?”

“Yes, Noah. I’m perfectly fine.”

Puck looked at her skeptically, following her line of sight which was the door, then back to her again.

“You think they’re coming?”

Rachel glanced at the wall clock and sighed. Mr. Schue was already ten minutes late, and the girls hadn’t arrived yet. She looked at her best friend with sad eyes, her shoulders dropping.

The girls never showed.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel slammed her locker shut with a huff, letting out some of her frustrations at the poor metal door. Glee meeting had just been dismissed and she just spent most of that time pondering on the possible reasons why the cheerleaders ditched the audition—other than the obvious. But then again, they never really gave her any confirmation that they would join. But still...she couldn’t help the disappointment she was feeling as of the moment.

As she made her way towards the school parking lot to wait for her dad, she caught sight of the three Cheerios that caused the frown on her face. They were leaning against a blue Chevrolet Imapala which she recognized as Brittany’s. She let out a breath through her nose in annoyance.

Not in the mood for a confrontation, she hastened her steps, lowering her head to the ground, hoping that the girls wouldn’t--

“Rachel!”

\--notice her.

Crap.

She wasn’t really in the mood for this. How could she face them? Because, yeah, she felt really stupid and embarrassed because they kind of sorta ‘stood her up’. And she would prefer it if everybody involved would just pretend that it didn’t happen. At all. It’s not like she got her hopes up. At least not _that_ much.

She should have known better. It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to persuade them in the past. They were still friends then. What were the chances that they would join _now_ when they wouldn’t even look at each other in the eyes? Well, that was the case most of the time.

And she still had little chance of saving face by walking away. So plugging her earphones—although there was no music playing, she continued walking and pretended she didn’t hear her name being called. It’s not like they would give her any time of the day anyway.

How wrong she was when she felt a hand grab her shoulder. Instinctively, she pivoted her body and her eyes landed upon the flawless beauty of Quinn Fabray.

“Q-Quinn!” Rachel squeaked, albeit not surprised at the blonde’s presence, she was still left awestricken at the sudden close proximity with the Head Cheerio.

“Hey.”

“Quinn,” Rachel repeated dumbly, mentally smacking the back of her head. Really? What was that?

“Rachel, listen, about the audition, we’re really sorry...”

“Oh! That’s perfectly fine, Quinn. There’s no need for any apologies. I understand completely if you couldn’t make it. I know it’s not in the best of your interest to join the club. Who would want to be a part of the school’s misfits anyway?”

“Rachel,” Quinn called, trying to interrupt the diva’s rant.

“It’s not like I expected you guys to come,” Rachel finished, completely ignoring the blonde. She tried to keep her voice neutral but she knew the last statement had sort of held some kind of resentment. And she almost regretted it when she saw the blonde Cheerio flinch.

Almost.

“Really?”

Rachel was surprised at the small hesitant voice of Quinn Fabray. And was that...hurt?

And as much as she knew Quinn deserved it, she couldn’t help but panic. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. That came out the wrong way. What I mean is, I know you have your priorities and I’m sure that whatever that had prevented you from showing today must have been very important.”

Quinn offered her a small smile which Rachel automatically returned with her own megawatt smile, relieved to see the blonde’s hazel eyes lit up.

Whipped.

Rachel scrunched her face at the thought and shook her head.

“Actually, we were held up by Coach Sylvester. We had an urgent meeting that we couldn’t get out of. You know how Coach is. We’re really, really sorry.”

“Of course. I am aware of your responsibilities as the head of the cheering squad as I am also a leader of my own team, which is the Glee club. I know how hard it is to lead a whole team to victory, especially the one like yours– the Cheerios, being an all time champion, not to mention the expectations, which I’m sure, Coach Sylvester has from you.”

Quinn’s smile grew wider as she listened to the brunette’s ramble, shaking her head in amusement.

“Thanks...I guess. For...being understanding,” Quinn hesitated.

Rachel watched as the girl in front of her turned from smiling to...anxious? She observed as _the_ Quinn Fabray shifted from one foot to another, looking at the ground while gnawing on her bottom lip, and playing with the hem of her uniform.

And the diva felt her heart melt when the blonde glanced at her behind her eyelashes, her bottom lip still trapped between her teeth.

“And umm...the girls and I were wondering if your offer still stands?”

“...I’m sorry?” Rachel said in a distracted manner, and inwardly cursed herself for being too absorbed in watching the adorable mess in front of her.

“The audition? We are wondering if it’s still open. We actually have a number already prepared but...you know.”

 _Oh_.

“Oh! Yes. Of course! Glee club is always open for anyone who is interested to join. We are forever looking for new members anyway. As you know already, we barely get anyone to audition,” Rachel said, trying to hide her excitement with the idea that the girls were still willing to audition. And knowing that they already have a number prepared served as a confirmation.

“That’s great,” Quinn replied, smile returning on her lips. “So...I’ll see you in Glee then?”

“Definitely. Thank you for considering.”

“Yeah,” Quinn nodded as silence engulfed the two girls.

It was Rachel’s turn to feel awkward as she looked everywhere but the Head Cheerio standing in front of her. From her peripheral vision, she could see the blonde staring at her in a not so creepy way, but the intensity was making her anxious. She cleared her throat to at least placate the growing awkwardness between them.

Why did it everything always had to be unenviable when any of these girls were involve?

“Well, I better get going now. And from what I can see, you should too. You wouldn’t want to keep Santana waiting,” Rachel teased, looking across Quinn’s shoulder where the other two Cheerios await for their captain.

 “Britt can keep her company,” Quinn shrugged.”But you’re right. I should probably get going,” she replied as she began to walk backwards. “See you around, Berry.”

“Good bye, Quinn,” Rachel called out as she watched the blonde turn around and jog to the waiting Cheerios. She saw the tall blonde Cheerio waved at her while the Latina gave her a small nod. She hesitantly waved back with a smile before making her way on her usual waiting spot.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

“Everything went well with Rachel?” Brittany asked as the three of them settled themselves in their usual spots in the car.

“It did. She was pretty upset at first though. We should have informed her in advance.”

 “Yeah. If only we weren’t so busy convincing the She-Demon before she could cut our fucking heads off,” Santana scoffed.

“It worked in the end, didn’t it?”

Brittany sighed as she concentrated on the road, her brows knitting together. “I don’t know about this, Quinn. I’m not that confident with this plan--”

“Or the lack of,” Santana mumbled. Quinn rolled her eyes.

“--It could backfire. And I mean it in a very disturbing way. My spidey senses are actually tingling with just the thought of it.”

“So is my psychic Mexican third eye.”

Quinn groaned and for the nth time, rolled her eyes, “I know that. And I’m sorry if I’m only good at plotting diabolical plans since that’s all we’ve been doing since high school started. And my skills are somewhat limited to messing with people’s lives and making them miserable. So really, I’m sorry if I haven’t gotten a clue on how to get a friend back who we have tormented for almost two years.”

The two girls sitting at the front shared a look. Santana turned her head over the backseat to look at the distraught blonde.

“Hey Q, baby, it’s alright,” the Latina said in a soothing manner. “We’ll think of something, okay? We’ll get through this.”

“We’re all in this together, Quinn. We all made the same mistakes. Don’t take all the blame on you,” Brittany comforted, her eyes shifting from the road to the rearview mirror.

Quinn took a deep breath and nodded silently. She leaned her forehead on the window and stared outside, deep in thought. She couldn’t help but feel like it was all her fault. Inside their circle of three, they were all equals but outside, in the eyes of the student body, she was still the Head Bitch In Charge.

She could have stopped it with just a snap of her fingers. She had the power to stop Rachel’s suffering. She could have done something. _She could have_.

And yet, she didn’t.

She was a coward. The three of them were. And she knew they were still scared until now. But they just couldn’t deny the pull towards Rachel anymore. It had always been there even before they know what having a crush felt like; when they were still too naïve to even know what being attracted to someone was like. It was just there, waiting to be awakened.

And last summer was the last eye opener they needed to pull them out of their little bubble.

It was the time when they found Rachel Berry with a tongue shoved down her throat. They recognized the owner of that tongue as Rachel’s co-worker from Lima Bean. Inconveniently enough, the car they were in was just beside Quinn’s. She scowled at the memory which turned in to a smirk, remembering how that same girl that they found lip locked with Rachel simply _disappeared_ a month after the incident.

What? They were scheming bitches after all.

Selfish, possessive, scheming, evil bitches.

There was a reason why they were Sue Sylvester’s personal favorites.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

The next day, Rachel found herself being dragged by the Mohawk jock right after the last period. Much to her annoyance.

“Where are you taking me, Noah?” Rachel huffed as she let Puck pull her by the wrist. It was obvious that they were going to the direction of the football field. What she couldn’t understand was the enthusiasm that the Mohawk boy was emitting. It was a little...leery.

“To the field.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. She figured that out already. “Don’t you have practice?”

“Nah. Practice was cancelled today. The boys are just hanging out on the bleachers watching the cheerleaders practice,” Puck replied, chancing a glance at the diva with his usual smirk and waggling of eyebrows.

Ugh.

Well, that didn’t explain why she was being dragged by the football player towards the field. They reached their destination and her eyes automatically moved towards her three favorite cheerleaders. She couldn’t control the smile that suddenly appeared on her lips.

They both sat at the bleachers nearest to the panting cheerleaders, opposite to where the other jocks were blatantly staring at the girls with glazed eyes. Rachel scrunched her nose in disgust.

Perverts.

At least she didn’t look _that_ perverted.

Right?

“So, let’s begin plan ‘ _How to get Rachel Berry a Smokin’ Hot Girlfriend?_ ’

“ _What?_ ” Rachel hissed, staring at Puck incredulously. She must look as horrified as she thought she was because Puck started laughing. She scoffed and crossed her arms. “You think you’re being funny, huh?”

“No. You are. Come on, babe. Live a little,” Puck encouraged, bumping his shoulder with hers. “So, what do you think of these fine ladies?”

Confusion was written all over the diva’s face as Puck motioned towards the group of cheerleaders.

“Noah! If you are seriously considering that those girls will even bat an eyelash at me, then you are definitely insane. Do I need to remind you how much these girls despise me? I refuse to participate in such activity.”

Fifteen minutes later…

“What about Monica?”

“Too skinny.”

“Devi?”

“She’s a red head.”

“So?”

“I don’t trust them.”

Puck scoffed. “How about Emily?”

Rachel glanced her way towards a tall, tanned brunette with plump lips. “Well, she kind of reminds me of Santana.”

“And?” Puck asked with hope in his eyes.

“Still no.”

"But she's hot!"

"I don't care."

Puck frowned.

"And I am aware that most of these girls you have already slept with. Therefore, I am not interested no matter how 'hot' you say they are."

"But she's _really_ good. If you know what I mean," Puck suggested, waggling his eyebrows.

Rachel turned her head to her companion with disgust. "You're a pig,” she deadpanned. “I don't know why I'm friends with you."

Shaking her head, she grabbed her phone when she felt it buzzed in her pocket. She read the message quietly and began punching a reply.

"Santana, Britt, Quinn."

Without lifting her head from her phone, Rachel scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"The Unholy Trinity now? Seriously, Noah. We've gone from random girls you hooked up with to them? It only shows how hopeless this is. I mean, they are practically untouchable. I know you've dated Santana for a while but things are different for me. Those three girls scare me to no end. Given that we have some kind of history together. But still. They are very intimidating and they make me feel claustrophobic whenever they are in the same room as I am--"

"Uhh...Rach..." Puck said quietly but the brunette diva ignored him.

"If looks could kill, I would probably be dead by now, buried six feet under, with all the glares they had been giving me since freshmen year. I don't know why you need to mention them in this particular ridiculous activity. Then again, I don't even know why I'm partaking in this," Rachel blurted while angrily punching the keys on her phone, letting out her frustrations on the poor device.

"Huh. You really talk a lot, Berry."

Rachel stopped torturing her phone and froze in her spot.

Quinn?

Slowly, she tilted her head up and winced, recognizing the three girls that she had been rambling about just a minute ago. And by the looks they were giving her, she was certain they heard every word that came out of her mouth.

Shit.

"Uhh...hi?"

 _Smooth Berry. Really smooth_.

She could hear Puck coughed out a laugh. She glared at him and elbowed his rib really hard causing him to whimper.

"Puck, a word with you, please," Quinn stated, without taking her eyes off of the diva who was now shifting awkwardly on her seat.

"Umm..." Puck turned to Rachel, their eyes silently conversing, both aware of the reason the trio was demanding to talk to him. Rachel nodded once. "Okay. Lead the way ladies," he stood up, giving a wink to the diva's direction as if to say 'I got this' before trailing off behind Santana and Quinn.

Rachel glanced at the third member of the trinity, furrowing her brows and tilting her head to the side. "Brittany, aren't you going with them?"

The tall Cheerio simply shook her head and chose to sit beside the confused starlet.

Rachel followed the Cheerio's movement, scooting a little further from the blonde to keep a decent distance between them. She still wasn't that comfortable to be too close with her or any of the trio actually, although they had been in each other's personal space in a few _awkward_ situations.

She did get a month long break from the trio's strange and very confusing behavior and in that given time, it was enough for the awkwardness and tension between her and the girls to return in full blast. Not that it was ever gone at all. It just lessened...well, sort of.

Thus, her rapid beating heart when she felt the tall blonde moved closer to her, completely clearing out the distance that she had just created between them--her senses heightening when she felt the warmth of Brittany's thigh rub against her.

"So..."

"Do we really scare you that much, Rae?"

Rachel was taken aback with the unexpected question. She flapped her mouth open but nothing came out. She stared at Brittany with wide eyes, rummaging her brain for answers, but the jutted bottom lip and the clouded endless pool of blue eyes really caught her off guard.

And she felt the sudden urge to comfort the girl.

"Hey," she called softly. "Don't be like that. How can that adorable pout scare me? Or anyone for that matter?"

Brittany's lips twitched a little, a ghost of a smile forming on her lips. "Well, what about San and Quinn? Do they scare you?"

Rachel started fidgeting on her seat, not really meeting the blonde's eyes. She couldn't lie. She just couldn't.

"Who isn't?" Rachel said without any amount of sarcasm. Just pure honesty. She watched as the smile on Brittany's lips slipped away completely. And she couldn't help but feel guilty about it. "I'm sorry, Britt. I didn't mean it like that. It's just that...you know," Rachel shrugged helplessly. What could she say? How could she explain something that she, herself, didn’t understand?

Yes. Santana and Quinn scare her because of their unexplained hostility towards her. Heck. Even Brittany scares her. Just not as much as the other two. She was positive the tall blonde had some hidden mischievousness as well. She just carried it way differently from Santana and Quinn. While the other two was direct and just plain bitchy, Brittany was sneaky and covert. You wouldn't even know what hit you. The three of them were a dangerous combination.

"I know. I understand, Rachie. And...we're working on it, okay? And maybe...Maybe we can talk about it? When the right time comes...I guess," Brittany said, her eyes staring at the empty field as if she was lost in her own world.

Rachel's frown went deeper, not quite understanding what the other girl was talking about. She opened her mouth to ask about it but a blonde boy jogging towards their direction distracted her. She narrowed her eyes on him, annoyed for being interrupted.

"Hey babe."

Rachel scrunched her face at hearing the term of endearment. What's with the jocks calling their girlfriends babe? At least Puck called every being of the opposite sex babe as long as they were within his standards...if he even had one.

"Sam."

The tiny brunette observed the interaction between the two blondes. The lack of enthusiasm from Brittany as she greeted her boyfriend didn't go unnoticed by the diva. The slight irritation that was etched on the blonde Cheerio's face as she stared at her boyfriend surprised her.

"What do you want, Sam? Can’t you see I’m talking to Rachel."

Rachel lifted her fist on her lips and looked down in an attempt to cover the wide grin that spread on her face. Ha! Take that blondie!

Sam recoiled at the unusual flat tone on his girlfriend's voice and the frown on her face. "Uhh...Finn and I were about to hit Lima Bean. We were wondering if you guys want to hang out with us?”

Brittany pursed her lips, contemplating the offer. She then turned to the little diva beside her. “Would you like to come with us?”

“Britt, I don’t think it’s a good idea to--”

The tall blonde turned her head sharply to her boyfriend, eyes narrowing, “Says who?”

The blonde jock shut his lips tightly and stepped back, raising his hands in mock surrender.

“Yeah. Thought so,” Brittany returned her attention to the stunned diva and smiled sweetly, “So what do you say, Rach?”

Rachel could only nod dumbly as she stared at the blonde Cheerio, a little freaked out at how the blonde snapped at her boyfriend. The authority and coldness in her voice reminded her of Quinn.

Fuck it. Brittany was way more frightening than Quinn and Santana. She could practically channel the two girls without even trying.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

No matter how confident he was, Puck still found himself being cornered by the two most fearsome cheerleaders in Lima, growling and scowling and just plain angry at him.

“Just tell us who did it so we can get this all over with already, Puckerman. I’m not known for being patient.”

“And I told you, Santana. I don’t know who did it.”

And it was true. He really didn’t have any idea about Rachel’s opponent that night. He didn’t even catch his name.

"Why are you obsessing with this anyway? Rachel's a big girl. She's tough and she can take care of herself. I should know coz she's my girl."

"She is not your girl!" Quinn snapped, pointing a finger on Puck's chest. "She's nobody's girl."

"Not for long!" Puck exclaimed with a glint in his eyes.

The two Cheerios looked at each other with the same confusion written on their faces.

"What are you talking about?" Santana asked.

"You'll see," Puck answered in his trademark smirk and winked playfully.

Quinn and Santana both rolled their eyes.

With a serious tone, Puck continued, "Look, you may not admit it, but I know you're worried about Rachel. But..." He paused to meet the cheerleaders' eyes. "She's going to be just fine. Whatever she's doing, it's her way of...dealing with stuff. I don't approve of it but I respect her decision. And I really hope that you do too," he hesitated for a while before adding his last statement. "Let it go. It's the least you can do."

With that, Puck turned around to go back to the bleachers, taking the silence of the girls as his cue to leave.

"Well, that felt like a slap on the face," Santana said, her face darkening as she stared at his retreating back. She usually had a smart kickass mouth but Puck had hit them too close to home and she was caught off guard. And this wasn't the first time that he did.

Quinn silently agreed. Puck's statement felt like a knife stabbing through their hearts. Good thing Brittany wasn't there to hear it. Damn Puck for knowing more than they do. Damn him for being the better person than the three of them combined.

And yet, they couldn't hate him no matter how much he reminded them of how low they had come to--abandoning their best friend for something that was temporary and as stupid as high school hierarchy.

They had always felt this irrational jealousy of him since they were kids... And now, they knew why that was. He was a free spirit unlike them...just as Rachel was.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"Why is she here?" Finn scowled at Rachel's direction.

"And are we doing this again, Finn?" Quinn countered, her voice filled with coldness as she glared at her boyfriend.

"But Quinn.." the tall boy whined.

"Shut up."

"Dude, I told you leave Rachel alone if you don't want a replay of what happened last month."

"I would if she would just get her tranny self out of my face!"

A lot of things happened at once. Rachel got a hold of Puck who was grabbing Finn's jacket, about to give the tall jock a punch. Quinn was holding Santana's waist who was trying to claw Finn's eyes. Sam reached over the table just to stop Brittany from climbing it and attack Finn.

Damn.

"Enough!"

Everybody turned to the Head Cheerio, the authority in her voice calming everyone down, making them return to their seats.

"You," she continued with her HBIC tone, pointing a finger at the quarterback, "If you want to get out of this place alive, you better shut your mouth. Am I clear?"

"But--"

"Am .I .clear .Hudson?"

Finn huffed and crossed his arms, sulking on the corner of his seat, "Fine."

"Asshole."

"Noah," Rachel chastised, squeezing Puck's shoulder.

So Rachel had no idea how she found herself seated with McKinley's royalty in Lima Bean. They had settled themselves in a booth. Although since it was fitted for only six persons, Puck was nice enough to pull out a chair from a nearby table. And now, she seated awkwardly at the middle of their table, facing the six occupants on the booth.

This picture was just so wrong in so many different levels. She could see Finn throwing glares at her direction. Puck was giving Finn warning looks himself. Sam felt uncomfortable being seated between Finn and Puck.

From the corner of her eyes, the trio was just as silent. Santana was scowling at Finn. Quinn seemed to be lost in her own world. And Brittany had this unreadable expression in her face. Before they went to the cafe, she was pretty sure that the tall blonde was still her bubbly self. She wasn't sure what happened during the car ride from school to the cafe since she rode with Puck, the girls riding in Brittany's car.

Rachel sighed and contemplated on leaving because the tension in that table was just killing her. But then she heard someone calling her name.

"Rachel? Rachel Berry?"

Rachel, as well as the other six people she was sitting with, looked up to the direction of the voice. The girl was tall, has brown hair and was wearing a flirty attitude as she neared their table. She was wearing the uniform of Lima Bean.

"Alex!" Rachel got up from her seat as soon as she recognized the girl. She could feel everybody's curious eyes following her movements.

However, she did miss the trio's look of surprise as they too, recognized the familiar face.

The little diva wrapped her arms around the tall brunette. She felt Alex's hands on her waist, pulling her impossibly closer as they locked each other in a tight embrace.

"Wow. It's been a while. You look great! Where have you been?" Rachel asked, her eyes rounding in excitement as she pulled away from the embrace.

"Oh you know. Just here and there. I thought Grace was joking when she said you're here. I was at the inventory room. How are you?"

"Good. School just started last month and it's been keeping me busy with all the homework and Glee. I didn't know you were back in town. I would have passed by here when I got the chance."

"Don't worry your pretty little ass, babe. What matters is that you're here now. And now you know I'm not going anywhere," Alex replied with a grin on her face, her hands once again situating on Rachel's waist.

Rachel stiffened at the touch, her face feeling warm at the blatant flirting of the tall brunette. She cleared her throat and subtly--as much as she can--moved away from the now wandering hands of Alex.

"I didn't know employees are allowed to flirt with their customers."

All eyes turned to the Latina, her voice filled with ferocity. Not really a surprise because, well, she was Santana Lopez.

"Rachel and I are friends. And everybody here knows that since she worked here last summer."

"It’s still unprofessional."

The biting remark was from Brittany, much to everyone's surprise. Even Rachel was caught off guard. She knew that tone and it's something she didn't want to mess with.

"Oh gosh! Where are my manners?” Rachel began, trying to ease the additional tension among the group. “Alex these are some of my…schoolmates. This is Noah, Sam, Finn, Brittany, Quinn and Santana,” Rachel introduced, hesitantly motioning to each occupants of the table, “Everyone, this is my friend, Alex,” she finished the introduction and after an awkward pause, Noah spoke.

“You’re hot.”

Thank god for Puck. The tension subsided as soon as the inappropriate comment came out of his mouth.

Alex chuckled, “Yeah. I get that a lot.”

Rachel noticed the sour faces of the girls as they stared at the tall brunette, “Alex, maybe you should go back to the counter. We'll just talk later, okay?" Rachel said, placing a hand on Alex's arm. She knew Alex could be as bitchy as Santana and she didn't really want to make a scene right now. Or ever. Rachel couldn't place it but it seemed that the three Cheerios had some unexplainable hate for the tall barista.

Alex met the small brunette's eyes before nodding her head and walking back to the counter without a word.

Rachel went back to her seat and the table was once again engulfed with an uncomfortable silence. She calmly sipped her coffee, trying to ignore the thick atmosphere around her.

“So…Have you slept with her yet?"

Rachel choked on her coffee, coughing uncontrollably as she desperately looked for a tissue. She was surprised when the trio offered her a tissue all at once while Brittany patted her back.

"Do you really have to ask that?" Quinn asked, not even trying to hide her irritation.

"What? It's just a question."

"No."

Puck looked at his best friend who just recovered from her coughing fit. "No? As in you haven't? Damn!"

"No as in I don't want to answer that question."

Puck rolled his eyes. "It's just yes or no, Rach--wait...you did, didn't you?" He asked as if he already knew the answer, his grin getting wider as his eyes glazed with the different perverted thoughts that were now swirling in his head.

“I didn’t say that!”

Puck's laughter echoed through the area, earning some attention from the other customers, “But your face says it all!”

"Noah!" Rachel hissed as she threw a punch on his arm, hoping it would shut him up only to fail miserably.

Couldn't he embarrass her enough?

"Oh my god Rach! That's some hot chick! I knew it you had it in you! I always knew!" Puck exclaimed as he offered his fist to Rachel.

Rachel hesitantly bumped his fist but unable to hide the sheepish smile on her face. And Puck's sudden outburst was just so overwhelming she felt like it was just the two of them in their usual Jewbro bonding moments.

"Was she good?" Puck asked again, his eyebrows moving up and down in a rapid manner.

Rachel groaned, “I never said anything about sleeping with her.”

“Oh come one, Rach. No need to be shy about it.”

"Can we not talk about Berry's sex life?" Santana snapped, her glare directed to the mohawk jock.

"Yeah. It's disgusting," Finn said, his face scrunching.

"Dude, just because you don't have a sex life, you'd let out your frustration on us. You're just jealous. At least Rachel was able to bed a hot chick. You're the popular quarterback and yet, you can't even get pass second base with your girlfriend."

"Noah! That's not very nice to say, especially in front of Quinn. Apologize to her right now!"

"He should apologize to me!"

"As if Finn," Puck retorted and looked at the Head Cheerio who was narrowing her eyes on him. He had the decency to tilt his head down in shame. "Sorry, Q. Your boyfriend is getting on my nerves."

"That's fine," Quinn waved off and leaned back on her seat.

"Now that's settled, can we talk about something else other than Rachel's sex life?" Brittany suggested.

The table was engaged in random conversation. Puck and Rachel were busy whispering to each other and then laughing lightly. The Cheerios had their own conversation going on while Finn and Sam talked about football.

"Excuse me. I need to use the restroom."

Rachel stood up and walked towards the direction of the restroom. The girls followed her with their eyes. They exchanged meaningful glances when they noticed a tall brunette following the diva to the restroom. Without saying anything, the three of them stood up, their eyes set at the direction the two brunettes disappeared to.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"Hello Rachel."

Rachel looked up from washing her hands, surprised to see Alex standing behind her, "Alex, wha--"

Rachel yelped when a pair of hands grabbed her shoulder and forcefully turned her around. The said hands traveled down her waist before pulling her closer. She was so surprised that it took a while for her brain to register that there were soft lips attached to her own and was waiting for her to respond. Before she could do anything, the door opened and blur of red came barging in.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"It's not what it looks like!" Rachel defended quickly when she was met with three pairs of angry eyes, Quinn's angry voice awakening her from her daze.

"What does it look like, blondie?"

"We should report to your manager. You're not supposed to be doing that," Brittany said.

"Bitch. You just couldn't wait until you get off work? You just had to harass her in the fucking bathroom!"

"It's my break time. I can do whatever or whoever I want. Besides, who said anything about harassment?"

Santana was about to lunge at the barista but stopped when Rachel came in between.

"Stop," Rachel said calmly but her voice firm, holding up her hands to stop the Latina. She then turned to the other tall brunette, "Alex, please don't do that again. I know we had a...thing before but I would appreciate it if you would respect my personal space."

Alex sighed and smiled apologetically, "You're right. I'm sorry, Rach."

Rachel smiled, "That's fine. Now if you could just give me a minute. I need to talk to these girls in private."

Alex rolled her eyes but nodded. She walked past by the cheerleaders with her head held high and smirk planted on her face.

"What was that all about?" Rachel huffed and crossed her arms.

Quinn scoffed, not liking the tone of Rachel, "Well sorry for thinking you're being harassed. I guess all we did was disturb you from shoving tongue with each other's throat!"

With that, Quinn turned around and walked out of the door.

"Quinn--"

"Save it hobbit," Santana interrupted, holding up a hand in front of the small brunette. "We don't need to hear your shit. If you want to exchange saliva with that floozy, go ahead. But do it somewhere else. Save us all the horrifying images."

"You have no right to call her that, Santana!"

"I will call her whatever the hell I want midget!"

"Santana! That's enough!" Brittany reprimanded, getting a hold of the Latina's arm and tugging her away from the now shaken brunette.

Santana paused and took a deep breath, giving Rachel a once over before turning on her heels and out the door.

"San..." Brittany called out after the Latina. She chance a look at the diva, meeting her brown eyes and mouthing a 'Sorry' before going after the two girls.

Rachel was left there--shell-shocked, dumbfounded, hurt and just fucking confused. What the hell just happened?

Ooooooo

Rachel stomped her way towards their table. Without a word, she took her bag and began her way towards the exit, ignoring Puck's call behind her.

"Rachel wait!"

Rachel swiveled her body and her eyes met with a pleading blue eyes.

"Britt..."

"Rach, I'm sorry about what happened. Santana and Quinn..."

"Santana and Quinn will never change, Britt," Rachel said firmly, "I just don't understand why they keep minding my business and reacting as if...as if...things never changed between us! And you and I both know it wasn't my fault things are different and awkward between us now. They don't have the right to say those words to me, Brittany! And they shouldn't have said that about my friend!"

The tiny diva was breathing hard as soon as she was done with her outburst. She noticed the tall blonde flinched in the middle of her ranting and felt a tad bit sorry for her for being the receiving end of it.

Rachel closed her eyes, rubbing her temples with her hand as she tried to ease her nerves, "I'm sorry," she mumbled, not maintaing an eye contact with the blonde.

"It's okay. I understand, Rachel," Brittany said, her eyes boring on to the small brunette. She tried to reach out to her but hesitated and kept her hands firmly on her sides, "San and Quinn are sort of going through something right now...I am too. And I know it's not fair that they let it out on you but...you are kind of involve in it--"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well," Brittany paused, looking everywhere but the girl in front of her, "I don't think this is the right time or place to talk about it, Rach. I'm just...sorry...for this. For everything. I hope you can...I don't know...give us a chance? San and Quinn...they're just scared. I know it's not an excuse but--"

"B. We're leaving."

Rachel stiffened as Santana, followed by Quinn, came to her view and stopped just behind the tall blonde. She saw Puck jogging past the trio and towards her direction with confusion written all over his face. She shook her head when their eyes met, dismissing all the questions that he was sure to ask later.

Brittany just looked upset, still looking at the tiny brunette. She watched as Puck rested a comforting hand on Rachel's shoulder. She felt a hand on her elbow and sensed Quinn beside her.

"Britt. Come on."

With a huff, Brittany dismissed the hand on her elbow and walked past the two Cheerios towards her car.

Rachel watched the interaction between the three cheerleaders. Her eyes met with Santana and Quinn, both having unreadable expressions. The three of them took on a staring contest, as if trying to communicate with their eyes.

Rachel was trying not to show too much emotions but she was never really good at it. Looking at the two girls, she felt her heart drop, realizing just how much she couldn't recognize these girls anymore. And it really broke her heart not for the first time.

"Hey Rach! Wait up!"

Alex's voice broke the tension between the three girls. Rachel forced a smile as Alex neared them. She quirked her brow a little as she watched the barista purposely passed between Quinn and Santana.

This girl was screaming trouble.

"You forgot this," Alex said, handing a small paper to the diva.

Rachel took the paper, scanned it and realized that it was Alex's phone number. She feigned a smile and placed the paper on her bag.

"Call me, okay?"

"I will."

"Good. See you soon, babe," Alex leaned forward to give Rachel a quick peck on the lips. Puck's eyes wide in excitement and a smirk playing on his lips. Rachel was just caught off guard. Again.

"Oopps. Sorry. I forgot I wasn't supposed to that," Alex said, her playful tone betraying just how sorry she really was.

"That's..uhh...that's fine," Rachel stuttered, her eyes wide in surprise and her cheeks burning in embarrassment. She chance a look at the two Cheerios, worried that they would lash out on her again. Her brows furrowed when she saw the two girls burning a hole on Alex'a head and not her.

"Bye Rach," Alex said, her voice lowering to a whisper, a seductive smile on her lips as she turned around and walked away, purposely swaying her hips in exaggeration. She paused just in front of the two Cheerios just to throw them a taunting smirk before continuing her way back to the cafe.

"Bitch," Santana grumbled, her voice low and dark as she narrowed her eyes on the barista.

Quinn wished her eyes could fire lasers so she could rip Alex's body in to pieces.

"Man...that chick is just fucking hot."

All eyes turned to Puck who was looking at the barista with dreamy eyes. Rachel slapped his arm. Quinn groaned. Santana rolled her eyes.

“I guess you don’t need plan ‘ _How to get Rachel Berry a Smokin’ Hot Girlfriend’_ anymore, huh?” Puck whispered so only Rachel could hear.

“Shut up, Noah.”


	9. Chapter 8

"Rachel, baby girl, you haven't really told us what happened between you and the girls," Leroy asked as the three of them eat dinner, one of the rare moments that their family were in complete attendance.

And it's just tough luck that they decided to talk about the girls. Of all the things they could talk about as a family.

Rachel did her best not to roll her eyes at the random question. She never told her dads the real story behind the reason why she and the girls didn't hang out anymore. She just couldn't. It's different talking about it with Puck or Alex. These were her fathers, who treated the three girls like their own daughter.

For almost two years, she had lost count on how many times her dads would ask her about them. It was easy at first. School was a good excuse. But then it got harder as time passed by so she told them they just fell apart. They were living in two different worlds now. Her dads were horrified—talk about being dramatic.

" _But you girls were inseparable!" Hiram exclaimed and looked at her in disbelief._

" _That's just it. We_ were _. Things happen Daddy. People in our lives come and go," Rachel replied and shrugged, doing her best to play it cool, "I guess they were one of those who were never really meant to stay," the diva said the last statement with a faraway look, her eyes dimming for a second before shaking her head and turning to her fathers with a wide forced smile._

"I really don't want to talk about it, Dad," Rachel said, shaking herself from thoughts, "Besides, it's not that big of a deal anymore. It's a long time ago. I got over it. It's time that you do too," she teased but her smile didn't reach her eyes. How she wished her statements were true. She tried hard to convince herself for so long. But who was she kidding, right? How could she get over them when she spent three-fourths of her life growing up with them and spent the remaining one-fourth struggling with her feelings while they crash her heart every single day?

She should just hate them. That would make everything so easy for her. But no. Her stubborn and idiot self just couldn't seem grasp that fact. And she just gave up trying when she found herself staring at a scrapbook she made, filled with pictures of them since they were kids, a  _few hours_ after she attempted to tuck it far away—just under her bed actually—in the midst of her anger during freshmen year.

It's hopeless. She was hopeless. But she still had one option.

To move on.

Because, really. She didn't have much of a choice.

And she was doing well. She met new people. New friends. Then there's Alexandra. Well, she had already known Alex even before things with the girls got all screwed up. She met her at a summer camp before freshman year. That crazy, smartass, short-tempered barista turned her life around. Her fiery temper and cocky remarks when she's pissed reminded her of Santana, her carefree attitude made her think of Brittany and the coolness and confidence in her aura were very Quinn-like. She was like the Unholy Trinity rolled in to one but still had the uniqueness in her that made her  _Alex_  in Rachel's eyes, not just a shadow of the three.

She was pretty positive the girls had met Alex once when things were still good between them. Now that she thought of it, they were never really fond of the tall barista. Alex was her first not-girlfriend but they fooled around. It was the tall barista that made her realize the reason why she never found boys attractive, or why she wouldn't stop gawking at her best friends—that time—just appreciating their beauty, or why she felt her skin crawl with the softest of touch from any of the trio.

Alex was the first person she's ever been  _with_. She was upset that time and she had no one else to go to. The girls broke her heart for the first time. And not just into two, but into tiny little pieces. She had cried while she picked up the pieces of her broken heart one by one on the floor as the girls repeatedly stomped on it. And Alex was just  _there_. She stayed by her side as she bawled her eyes out. She patiently rubbed her back, offering comforting words and then...she felt soft lips against hers…and then one thing led to another…and the next thing she knew…well, it already happened.

It wasn't her ideal first time and she kind of felt a little disappointed about it—not because it was bad, but because it happened for the wrong reasons. But she didn't regret it. How could you regret something that made you feel amazing? Not that she had any reference for comparison because she only did it once. It never happened again. They agreed on it.

Yes. They were attracted to each other, but both knew it couldn't go beyond that. Both of their hearts were already occupied by someone else—or on her part, by some people. They were just unfortunate their hearts were stolen from them right under their noses. And like her, Alex was hopelessly in love with her best friend. They were so much alike, the two of them. That's why they hit it off right away.

It was just too bad that Alex had a habit of disappearing from the face of the earth every now and then without telling anyone where she would be. Not even Rachel. Another reason why they would never work out. As responsible as Rachel was, Alex was too laidback. She just dropped out of high school just because she could. She was rich and spoiled. But after neglecting her studies, her parents stopped supporting her to teach her a lesson.

But that didn't seem to work on Alex since she's still the same happy-go-luck girl she met two years ago, which was why she was surprised when Alex arrived at Lima Bean last summer, went behind the counter, wore the LB apron and then gave her an unnecessary peck on the cheek.

That Alexandra. She would always be a flirt. But unlike what most people think of the tall brunette, she never whored around. Except maybe make out with anyone wearing a skirt.

And Rachel was no exception. But she's used to it. Alex was one of the few people she trusted with her life. Though they had been friends for only two years, their connection was strong. And the girl would always be special to Rachel—which was why the diva never doubted to  _finally_  admit that she, in fact, had feelings for her best friends. All three of them. That was the first time she cried in Alex's arms. It was funny that the second time she did, it was still about the girls with her heart was damaged beyond repair. Since then, Alex hated them. She hated the girls enough for the both of them since Rachel couldn't seem to do it herself.

Despite the short span of time that Alex's and the Unholy Trinity's worlds collided, Alex already felt the jealousy seeping through the girls' veins. And if she knew Alex as well as she thought she did, what happened at the today was no coincidence.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel slammed her locker shut. She was angry. No. She was furious. Like don't-fuck-with-me-right-now furious. The oh so might Unholy Trinity ditched Glee. Again. What the hell was that? After the confirmation the other day, she was proud to announce to the club that she had convinced the three Cheerios to join and they were  _supposed_  to audition that today.

Finn Hudson, unsurprisingly clueless of his own girlfriend's decision to join Glee, accused her of bluffing. She was appalled. Rachel Berry never bluffed! So she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin in confidence and told them 'You'll see' with a huff.

Lo and behold. It was another no show.

Rachel had never been as embarrassed as she was that day, not even a slushie shower in front of the student body could compare—especially when Hudson smirked at her as if saying 'told you so, loser'. It was infuriating and humiliating and disappointing. Really. All the negative emotions were just there! And she was dying to throw the chair in Finn's face and then kick him repeatedly in the gut until he stopped breathing.

The rest of the club was just sympathetic which only made her feel even worse.

And that was why she found herself outside the school. With quick strides, she moved towards a familiar, silver Audi with a purpose, the three girls in red skirt unaware of the storm coming their way.

Quinn yelped in surprise when the door of her car slammed shut just as she was about to get inside, "Hey!" She turned and wasn't really that surprise to see the raging diva.

"You! How dare you!" Rachel exploded as she pointed a finger on Quinn's face. On her peripheral vision, she could see Santana and Brittany got out of the car.

"Berry—"

"No! Don't Berry me! I am so mad at all of you right now! How could you ditch Glee? Again! You said you would audition today! I've never been  _this_  humiliated before! And that's saying something from a girl who had been the receiving end of slushie for two years!"

The trio winced at that but Rachel didn't notice, too occupied at letting her anger out.

"I—we waited! We were expecting you! Why are you being like this? You're nice one minute and then you bitch around the next and then you ignore everyone as if you're the only people that exist! And then you'd go back to being nice again and that's just confusing! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Rachel was breathing hard, her face flustered from her outburst. She glared at the three girls one by one as she crossed her arms in annoyance, waiting for any kind of reaction from them.

Seconds passed and the Cheerios remained silent. Brittany was frowning. Santana's eyes were moving everywhere. And Quinn was staring at her with a hard look on her face. They had thought about the audition but the unpleasant incident yesterday had caused them to reconsider joining. Not because they didn't want to. But they were dreadful that they would receive a cold shoulder once they stepped in to the choir room. They usually didn't give a damn about it. But it's Rachel...and after getting a long Berry-like rant from Brittany, Quinn and Santana just felt awful and guilty for being a bitch. Again.

"Well?" Rachel asked impatiently, stomping her foot on the ground.

But then again, they should have known better. This was Rachel Berry. And she would do anything for Glee club—even welcome her best tormentors with open arms.

"Are you still joining or not? Because if you're not—"

"We are," Brittany said quickly. Two pairs of eyes looked at her confused while the third pair lit up, "In one condition," she added.

Rachel pursed her lips, her eyebrows knitting together, "What condition?" she asked hesitantly.

There was a pause as Brittany contemplated on the next words that would come out of her mouth. Rachel was on edge as she dreaded what the tall blonde would say. She had a feeling she wouldn't like it.

"Drop Alex."

Rachel knew it. And yet, couldn't control when her jaw dropped, and apparently her loud outburst, "What?!"

"You heard me, Rachel."

Quinn stared at the other blonde with wide eyes while Santana smirked, her eyes filled with pride for her girl.

Rachel rubbed her face hard in frustration. What the hell?

"Brittany, you can't be serious," the diva said as she met the blonde's blue eyes.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Brittany asked calmly.

Rachel shook her head in disbelief. This time, Brittany was in no doubt channeling the Head Cheerio, "And if I don't do it?"

Brittany shrugged, "Then you can say goodbye to Nationals. We are aware of the rules. You need people, Rachel. And let's face it. It's not like there's a line waiting to be a member of your club."

Definitely channeling Quinn Fabray.

At this, Rachel's face hardened and her eyes narrowed, "You're right. Because if that's the case, I wouldn't even be here in front of you, wasting my time convincing the mighty princesses of McKinley's hierarchy to join our loser of a club. If only I had a choice, I wouldn't even be here having this conversation with you,  _of all people_."

Quinn, being the closest to Rachel, stepped back at the diva's outburst. Rachel's emphasis on the last few words didn't go unnoticed by any of the girls and it felt like a punch in the gut. The proud smirk on the Latina's face had long been gone as soon as the small brunette started talking. Brittany had a look of indifference in her face but she felt like every word was a blow on her face.

But Rachel wasn't done yet.

"If you think you're getting your way like you usually do, I'm sorry but you're going to be disappointed. Not everyone is willing to bow down on your every wish. I'm not dropping Alex. I'm not dropping anyone just because you said so," the starlet continued. She met each of the girls' eyes and stared at them intently, making sure that the next words that she would say would get through them, "Because unlike some people, I know how to value friendship. I don't just throw it away for selfish reasons."

With that, Rachel turned her back and walked away without looking back.

Ouch.

The Unholy Trinity looked at each other with matching defeat and pain and sadness on their faces.

"Look what you made do."

The two cheerleaders looked at Brittany.

"B, what ar—"

"If you would have just stopped bitching about Alex, none of this would have happened!"

Quinn frowned, "But it was you who gave her that ultimatum!"

"Because I'm tired of hearing you bitch about her! This wasn't the first time! And we went as far as getting Alex fired at the café last summer just because we were jealous bitches who don't even have the balls to admit our feelings and yet, we act like this! Why don't we all grow a backbone and just accept the fact that there are people out there who deserve Rachel more than we ever could!" Brittany said, her voice was low but her tone was firm and full of pent up anger, frustrations and guilt. She took a deep breath and began to walk away from the car.

"Britt, where are you going?" Quinn called after the tall Cheerio once she got over Brittany's sudden release.

"I'm walking home. And don't follow me. I want to be alone."

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Later that night, Quinn found herself walking in the park. It was late but she needed a breath of fresh. After Brittany walked out, neither she nor Santana talk throughout the ride, both of them lost in their own thoughts. She dropped the Latina in her own house and they separated with just a quick peck on the cheek and then she was on her way home.

Brittany texted that she got home safely as well. But other than that, the three of them hadn't spoken since that afternoon. Britt was right. Everything was all screwed up. They knew it was going to be difficult but this...this was something. It was even harder compared to what they went through when the three of them got together. At least that time, all they needed to get over was her gay panic. Not that it was easy to handle a freaked out Quinn Fabray.

Quinn found herself standing in front of the park's playground. She stared at it for a while, reminiscing the times when the four of them were still young. They didn't care about the world then. It was just her and the girls. She remembered how the other kids would make fun of them for their flaws. Rachel and Santana would jump in front of her and Britt to defend them. While Rachel would talk their ears off, Santana would curse and threaten the bullies to drive them away.

A ghost of a smile appeared on the Head Cheerio's face. Slowly, she moved towards the swing and sat on it. It was her favorite spot. She would spend most of her afternoon sitting there, letting herself get lost in her own world. Then Rachel would stand behind her and gently push the swing. They would stay like that, enjoying the comfortable silence and each other's presence, until Brittany and Santana would come running and pull them away from the swing to play.

They were so carefree then. Life wasn't easy because of the constant bullying, but they were happy. They had each other. It didn't matter that Quinn was fat and ugly, or that Santana was teased as a tomboy because of her violent nature, or that Brittany liked to say random things that made people think she's dumb and weird, or that Rachel had gay dads and no mother. They all had their imperfections but they learned to accept them.

Or so they thought.

They grew up. They got tired of the continuous teasing. All their flaws were superficial so they did their best to 'erase' them. She spent months losing weight and mold her body to perfection. Santana, though still as violent if not more, became more feminine on the outside—wearing the skimpiest clothes and wearing makeup. Brittany would always find herself buried in a book, reading and learning new things.

And then there's Rachel. She was fit and healthy. She was warm and kind-hearted and only resorted to violence if needed. She was also smart with a wide vocabulary for someone so young and quite mature for her age. Not to mention her immense talent in the arts of performing. Other than being vertically challenged, there was nothing that needed to be changed.

Because the reason for Rachel's bullying wasn't something superficial. Quinn had always been fond of the Berry men—they all were, even her parents. And despite of the situation, she wouldn't go as far as seeing them as a flaw in Rachel's life. Out of all of them, Rachel had the best and warmest family. It was really no wonder Rachel was the kindest and forgiving person she had ever met. Rachel loved her dads so much that Quinn had lost count on how many times she had seen the tiny brunette exchanged fists and rolled to the ground just because somebody had said something offensive about her fathers.

It was funny how the diva could be quick to defend the people she loves, and then suck badly at protecting herself—especially against her former best friends turned bullies.

Quinn shook her head and let out a humorless chuckle. Things were really all fucked up. It's fucked up  _so bad_  and there's no one to blame but themselves.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Brittany was sure she would have burned a hole in her ceiling if she had super powers. When she got home, she went straight to her room, threw herself on her bed and proceeded to stare at her white ceiling. She only got up to use the restroom, change to her night clothes and ignored all her homework.

"I can't believe I said that," she murmured to herself for the hundredth time since she got home, "What was I thinking? It was so stupid and immature and just...stupid."

She groaned and suffocated herself with her pillow until her lungs burn. She really wanted to kill herself right now. She couldn't even start to describe how embarrassed she was of herself for going  _that_  low. Was she that fucking desperate? And then she had gone she-Hulk on her girlfriends and blame them for her own stupidity. Just as she was making progress, she had to fuck up and open her stupid mouth.

' _Drop Alex? Seriously, Britt? Seriously?!'_

One step forward, a million steps back.

God. She was really an idiot! No books had taught her that!

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Frustrated, she threw the pillow across the room with a growl, causing Lord Tubbington to stare at her weirdly. Brittany's face softened at the sight of the cat—a constant reminder of Rachel.

Despite Rachel telling her that she had randomly picked up Lord Tee along the streets of Lima because she was awed at his cuteness and felt sorry for him for being abandoned and all that drama, Brittany still found out that he was from Rachel's neighbor whose cat gave birth. Rachel got him in exchange for running errands for them. It was sweet and thoughtful that Brittany cried and buried her face in Rachel's chest. When she asked the tiny starlet about it, Rachel just shrugged.

" _I would have opted to adopt one, but then they'd all be grown up and grumpy and baby kittens are just so cute, don't you think?"_

Rachel's voice echoed on the tall blonde's mind, and a smile made its way on her lips. She picked up Lord Tubbington, placed him on her lap and began scratching his head.

How could she let this happen to them? Quinn, Santana and her transformation from being flawed to perfection was abrupt and their haste to finally belong got onto them. They spent their childhood being taunted and they just had enough of it. They were caught up in getting their revenge and tell the world to fuck themselves because now, it was their turn to rule. They worked so hard for that purpose and they didn't want to go back to being the victim again—especially her who had always been the weakest among the four of them.

But Rachel saw things differently. And yet, the three of them persuaded her to see things their way. She knew Rachel understood which was why the starlet tried to keep up with them. Things didn't work out the way they expected though because Rachel couldn't just go and change everything about her.

Rachel was gay. Her dads too. It was enough to be hated by the narrow-minded people of Lima. And McKinley was no different.

But it wasn't Rachel that failed them. It was the other way around. They became greedy and hungry for power. They got blinded and they just lost it.

And through their high for power, they lost Rachel.

Now, it's probably too late to get her back. How she wished she could turn back time and just stay as the dumb blonde that everybody knew. At least then, life would still be simple in her eyes and Rachel would still be there for her.

Brittany sighed. It was just frustrating how much they suck at redeeming themselves.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Santana sat silently in their living room couch while she played with a tennis ball. She would throw it against the wall, catch it once it bounced back and then throw it again. It was one of her habits when she was stressed. She realized that she preferred this method than gripping on a stress ball—which she would end up throwing against the wall only to get annoyed when it didn't bounce back the way she wanted it.

She stopped her movements once she caught the ball. She gripped it tightly and stared at it intently. Tennis had always reminded her of a certain brunette diva. She had always loved the sport and when she told Rachel about wanting to learn how to play it when they were ten, the starlet bounced her way towards her dads and asked them to bring them to a tennis court which was located half an hour away from their place—because her own parents were too busy killing each other at that time.

The fiery Latina tried to politely decline since it would be too much of a bother. However, Rachel simply laughed it off and dismissed her.

" _Don't be silly, San. This is going to be fun and I'm actually excited about it! We should call Lucy and Britt."_

In the end, all Rachel did was shriek, run away from the ball and plainly freak out and decided to just sit around in fear that the ball might hit her nose and ruin her chance of being a Broadway star, while her, Quinn and Brittany learned to play tennis.

Santana laughed lightly at the memory. Rachel was never really the sporty type. She could hardly lift the racket due to her small stature. She was more of a performer and she was damn amazing at it. In spite of her dislike—though Rachel would never admit it—she still accompanied Santana to her tennis lessons. Sometimes Quinn and Britt would come too but it was mostly the small brunette. Rachel and her dads supported her when her own parents didn't even have a clue on what was going on with their daughter and never bothered to ask her about the money she asked from them to pay for her tennis lessons.

She turned the ball in her hand, and there it was—a small drawing of a star and one of Rachel's signatures which she had already perfected at a young age as preparation to her future fame.

" _You're lucky to have this. Because someday, this wouldn't be just an ordinary tennis ball with a doodle. Someday, this would cost a fortune you can buy a whole tennis court!"_

She held the ball near her chest. Rachel didn't know, but the moment she had given this ball to her, it had already became one of her most treasured possessions. This ball was priceless and Rachel didn't need to be a famous Broadway star for it to be valuable.

Brittany's voice echoed in her mind. She was right. None of them deserved Rachel. Not even her forgiveness. They ruined everything. Their ties were severely damaged and it was beyond repair. She knew that. Brittany and Quinn knew that. So what were they bitching about? It was their fault in the first place. No matter how much they tried, they would always end up back to zero. And if there's anything lower than zero, then that's where they were now when it came to Rachel.

They were too insecure and selfish and guilty that they tend to let it out on the wrong person. Rachel would forever be a reminder of how fucked up they were and their monstrous ways that hurt the small brunette.

Santana couldn't help it when her vision turned blurry and tears began to stream down her cheeks. She wiped it harshly with the back of her hands. Santana Lopez was no crybaby! And yet, the salty liquid just continued to flow endlessly and she couldn't deny the soft sob that came out of her lips.

They were right. Karma was a fucking bitch.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Quinn was surprised when she looked at her wrist watch and realized just how late it was. She had tuned out the world again and it still amazed her how time would just fly when she did it. A cool breeze passed by her and she tightened her Cheerio jacket around herself. She was just about to stand up to go home when she felt another presence who took the swing just beside her. She looked at her side and was astonished to see the same person that had been occupying her mind for the last hour she was seated there.

"Rachel..."

"Hello Quinn, fancy meeting you here," Rachel responded with a light smile on her lips.

The Cheerio captain's shoulder dropped in relief. She didn't quite understand why she felt that way but the small smile that graced on the brunette's lips made her heavy heart feel lighter.

"It sure is. What are you doing here? It's late and it's a school night," Quinn said softly, her whole being getting lost at the warm brown eyes that was staring back at her.

"I should say the same thing for you, Ms. Fabray. And if my speculations are correct, you've been out here for much longer."

"Well, unlike someone I know, I'm not really that worried in not getting an eight hour of sleep every day."

Rachel giggled, "That is true. But there are a few occasions that sleep wouldn't come to me no matter how what I do. So here I am."

Quinn continued staring at the girl beside her, the light of the moon shining on her features, making her breathtakingly beautiful. She had seen it before when they were still children. But now, she was looking at Rachel in a different angle. She had grown—her features more mature and feminine. Rachel was gorgeous. The realization made her stomach flutter and her heart to ache.

Because looking at Rachel right now only made her grasped the fact of just how much she had lost.

The cheerleader broke the eye contact and looked up at the sky, a poor attempt to stop the warm liquid that had formed in her eyes to fall. She stiffened when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Quinn, are you okay?"

And it was all it took for the dam to break. She choked a sob as she slowly turned her head to the diva's direction, her hazel eyes meeting concerned brown ones. Quinn shook her head as if denying what she was seeing.

"How do you do it, Rachel?" she choked, wiping her tears with her palm.

Rachel burrowed her eyebrows. She was surprised and worried when Quinn just broke down and started crying. And now the random question just made her confused, "Do what Quinn?"

"That!" Quinn snapped, flailing her arm on Rachel's direction, a sudden feeling of annoyance surging through her, "Why are you being nice after what happened this afternoon? After  _everything_  that happened! After what we did to you! How can you continue and act that way as if it's nothing!" Quinn was now sobbing uncontrollably, not even bothering to wipe the tears this time, "We were terrible to you Rach! We still are! Things would have been easier if you just hate us!"

"Do you really think I never thought of that?" Rachel retorted, her voice controlled but full of emotion, "I tried to hate you, Quinn. So as Brittany and Santana. But for the life of me, I don't know why I just couldn't! You have no idea how hurt I was. How I'm still hurting until now. You abandoned me. You left me without even looking back."

Rachel turned away from the crying blonde, her gaze fixed on the slide in the middle of the playground. She could feel her eyes burning as tears began to build on her eyes as well. From her peripheral vision, she could see Quinn covering her face with her hands as she weep. A sudden urge to comfort the blonde ran through her body but she ignored it.

"Alex..."

Quinn stiffened and looked up at the mention of the barista's name.

"She was the only one there for me, you know. She fixed me. Well, not completely but it was enough for me to just...suck it up and move on, as she put eloquently put it," Rachel chuckled humorlessly at that, "Noah was there too. But Alex played a big part on my recovery. I don't know what I'd do then if it wasn't for her. And Brittany telling me to just drop her off...it was just so wrong. And I'm not sorry about what I said this afternoon, but I do feel bad about it. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings...but...you hurt mine first."

Quinn was just now sitting numbly on the swing, her tears stopped coming as soon as Rachel mentioned Alex. It was so painful that she just felt numb and sick to her stomach.

Alex had hit them straight to the core of their being—where it hurt the most—though the barista wasn't aware of it. She was everything that the three of them should have been to Rachel. She would always be a somber reminder of how much of a failure and worthless and awful people they were.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. You have no idea just how much I regret everything that happened to us. Santana and Brittany regret it too," Quinn's solemn, husky voice broke the silence that engulfed them, "I know sorry isn't even near enough to cover everything and I won't ask for forgiveness because I know it's too much to ask. But...we will do our best to be better. For you."

Rachel shook her head, "No, Quinn. Don't do it for me. Do it for yourself. Because I've always believed that the three of you are worth more than all of this. You don't need to be popular to be amazing people, Lucy," Rachel let the old nickname flow freely on her lips and she couldn't deny the warmth she felt at hearing her own voice saying it, "You three are born to be something great. And I will continue to believe that."

The smile that lit up Quinn's face wasn't forced. It was genuine and sincere and this time, the tears that flowed down her cheeks were a mere sign of joy when the old name rolled off Rachel's tongue easily. She should be pissed about it since she hadn't allowed anyone to call her that since high school started...but hearing it from Rachel only made her feel warm and happy and just...free.

"Thank you, Rach. Until now, you still know how to make me feel better."

"Yeah. Well, I'm amazing like that," Rachel said nonchalantly, a hint of playfulness in her eyes.

"Oh. You have no idea."

Rachel was caught off guard at the softness of Quinn's voice that it sent shivers down her spine. She looked at the blonde and her heart stopped beating at the intensity she saw on her hazel eyes. They held each other's gaze as they share a comfortable silence. Her breath hitched as a hand reached out to her and tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear.

"You are amazing Rachel. You're making me feel better now and I don't even deserve it."

"Quinn..."

"No, Rachel. Hear me out," Quinn said as she reached out for Rachel's hands and held on it tightly, "I want this out in the open now before I lose the nerve to do this...We are idiots for ever letting you go. For being horrible to you. I have so many regrets in my life but hurting you is the biggest mistake I've ever done, and I would continue to repent on it for the rest of my life," she paused and stared in to space, "I just wish I could just take it all back, Rach. And I'm sure Britt and San share the same sentiment as I am," she turned her eyes back on Rachel and looked straight in her eyes, "I missed you, Rae.  _We_  missed you. And we will do everything we can to fix this. We'd do anything to make it up to you."

"Quinn, I—" Rachel started, but the movement in the dark caught her attention and she looked at the source, her heart beating for a different reason this time.

"Rachel?" Quinn called, sensing the sudden tension on the diva's body.

The small brunette looked at Quinn and offered her a tight smile that didn't reach her eyes. There was a sound behind the shadows and the two girls both stood up and looked around. One of them looked alarm and guarded, the other was nervous and frightened.

"We should go," Rachel said calmly while her eyes were trained at the dark where she thought she saw a shadow looming around it. Without second thoughts, she grabbed Quinn's hand and led her out of the playground. Once they stepped on the concrete ground, Rachel didn't waste time and half dragged Quinn towards the exit.

However, they weren't able to get far when three men stepped out of the shadows and encircled them

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Rachel narrowed her eyes and pulled Quinn closer to her. She could feel the blonde gripping on her arms really tight, her nails digging on her skin against the jacket and she fought the urge to wince in pain.

"R-Rach..."

"It's going to be alright, Quinn. I promise," Rachel assured her and smiled, "This is just like old times," she continued, pertaining to the days when she would kick anyone's ass for bullying the blonde. She winked at her in attempt to placate the already hyperventilating cheerleader.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Rachel glared at what's-his-name, her blood boiling at the mere sight of him, "I'm not really interested in what you have to say."

"Huh. Acting tough now, aren't we?"

"Shut your face and let us pass."

"Rach...I-I don't think this is the right time to make him angry," the blonde whispered on the diva's ear.

Rachel felt her heart dropped at how scared and weak and shaky the girl sounded, reminding her of the little girl that used to cry on her shoulder whenever their classmates teased her. As much as she loved  _Lucy_  back then, she hated her insecurity and how she would belittle herself. Quinn was the opposite of that. And no matter the circumstances were regarding their not-so-existing relationship towards each other, she like the confident Quinn. And she was certain that somewhere deep inside Quinn, the sweet girl Lucy was still living there.

And she felt anger rush through on the three men for causing Quinn to regress to that—the same anger she would feel every time the other kids would bully them.

Yep. This was just like old times. Except these men could cause them harm.

Rachel didn't respond but squeezed Quinn's hand that was gripping her arm.

"We'll let you pass. But the blondie stays."

Despite the situation, Rachel placed her hands on her hips, feeling just a tad bit insulted at that. What? She wasn't pretty enough? Fuck you!

"And what makes you think I'll let that happen?"

What's-his-face shook his head, "I knew you wouldn't see things my way," he looked at his companions and gave them a nod.

Rachel stiffened and before she knew it, one of the guys who she would call Sasquatch—because he was big and kind of hairy—grabbed Quinn, "Let her go you piece of crap!"

As she was about to grab Quinn, she felt a blow land on her jaw. She was caught off guard and her mind was in a panic knowing Quinn was in danger. It took her a few seconds and another punch on her gut before she could recover and concentrate on the man that had successfully hit her twice. That was going to bruise her ego more than her face. This guy hit like a girl.

Rachel was able to block the next punch that was coming and with a growl, she delivered an uppercut, making sure that she put her all on that single punch. She watched as Teenie Weeinie went flying to the ground, unconscious. She smirked in victory.

However, it was short lived when she felt a kick on her lower back. It was Sasquatch. She stumbled forward but she surprised him when she turned with a roundhouse kick, hitting the side of his head. He fell tp the ground, barely conscious.

Rachel was about to deliver the final blow when what's-his-name's voice echoed on the empty park.

"Stop! Or I'll slit her throat."

A shiver ran through Rachel's spine when she saw Quinn with a knife on her throat. She felt her jaw tensed as she contemplated on a strategy to save them both. Her stomach dropped at the sight of the terrified blonde who was staring at her with pleading eyes.

Fuck.

"Please, don't hurt her."

"Rachel, look out!"

Quinn's shaking voice and the sudden pain that shot through Rachel's body woke her senses. She was too caught up that she didn't notice Sasquatch pick up some sort of thick branch and hit her face with it. She fell to the ground, holding her cheek and spitting out blood.

"Oh god, Rachel..."

Sasquatch grabbed the front of Rachel's jacket, lifting her up on her feet then punched her straight on the face. Followed by another one on her stomach. Then to her jaw. On her peripheral vision, she could see Quinn crying and shaking, struggling on the strong arm that was holding her despite the knife that was pointed on her throat. She cursed inwardly for being helpless. Her Dad never taught her what to do during this kind of situation!

That fucking coward, hiding behind a girl!

Rachel fell to the ground after the third time Sasquatch's fist made contact on her face. She was really pissed now. Maybe she could pretend to be unconscious? Then they would leave her alone and then she could jump on them when they weren't looking. But what if they stabbed her to death? What if they stabbed Quinn? Or rape her? Or...Oh god. She had to do something!

Rachel winced when a large hand grabbed her throat while she was still lying on the ground. Was she going to die now? What about Quinn? She had to save her, damn it!

"Bitch!"

Rachel and Sasquatch both turned on Quinn's direction. The tiny diva watched wide-eyed as Quinn bit on her captor's arm, stomped on his foot, kicked his shin and then proceeded to deliver a punch on his nose, sending him to stumble backward clutching on his probably broken nose.

' _Wow. Who's saving who? This is definitely not how I pictured this,'_  Rachel thought.

She felt the hand on her throat loosened and she took it as an opportunity to grab the back of his head and head butt him. He winced in pain and backed away from her. Rachel got on her feet, Quinn jogging towards her.

"Oh my god, Rachel! You're bleeding!" Quinn cried out, reaching out to touch the brunette's face.

Rachel smiled warmly at the Head Cheerio's concern towards her well-being.

"I can't believe you waited that long to kick his butt," Rachel mumbled half-heartedly.

"Uhh…Yeah. Sorry. I was in shock. And when I saw you getting beat up, I just...lost it," Quinn looked at the ground and smiled sheepishly.

Rachel then noticed the fine red line on the blonde's throat. Her knees wobbled at the horrible possibilities that flashed in her mid. It was close. Too close. Who knows what could have happened to Quinn if Rachel didn't come to the park tonight?

That girl! She wasn't even supposed to be out this late! She's too pretty and gorgeous to be walking in the park alone!

"Bitch! This isn't over!"

The tiny diva snapped her head on the men's direction, fire in her eyes, "You're right. It isn't."

Quinn watched in awe as Rachel  _gracefully_ beat the two men single handedly. It was as if Rachel wasn't injured at all. It only took a few strikes and kicks from the diva before the men hit the ground—beat up, unconscious and, Quinn hoped, with broken bones. They called the cops but left the scene before police arrived.

They were silently walking towards the exit when Quinn grabbed Rachel's arm and dragged her towards a bench, forcefully sitting the tiny brunette down.

"Rachel, are you okay? How are you feeling? We should get you to a hospital," the blonde Cheerio gushed, wincing at Rachel's injuries.

"No hospitals, Quinn," Rachel groaned. The blonde had been insisting for the nth time that they go to a hospital when all she really needed was a warm bath, an aspirin, and a good sleep, "I'm fine. Really."

" _Rachel_. You're. bleeding. How is that fine?"

Rachel shrugged, "I've had worse," Really. She did.

But the cheerleader was having none of that. Shaking her head, she pulled out her phone and pressed one on speed dial, "I'm calling Santana."

Rachel straightened her body at the mention of the fiery Latina, "What? Why?"

"Because we need a ride. You are in no condition to walk and it's late. I'm not having a repeat of what happened tonight."

Rachel would have argued more but other than the fact that she was exhausted and lightheaded, Quinn's HBIC tone had always scared the hell out of her. She simply shrugged and leaned her head on the back rest of the bench. She couldn't comprehend Quinn's conversation with Santana as she felt her eyes grew heavy.

She was just drifting off to slumber when she thought she felt a ghostly kiss on the corner of her lips.


	10. Chapter 9

Santana was certain she was breaking all traffic rules but she didn't really care. She's a Lopez. She pretty much always got away from almost everything. And right now, Quinn needed her. And so as Rachel. The Cheerio captain sounded anxious when she called. She was yet to know what really happened but for now, all she needed to know was that Rachel was hurt and Quinn was worried about the tiny diva. And it was enough for Santana to speed her way towards the park.

What was Quinn thinking? Taking a walk in the park at this hour? Santana shook her head as her hands tightened on the wheel. She relaxed a little when she reached her destination. She didn't even bother to park properly as she jolted out of the car. Thankfully, the two girls were just near the entrance.

The fiery Latina gasped at sight of Rachel. She met Quinn's eyes for a bit and then back to the diva that was now lying on the blonde's lap, asleep. The small brunette's features denoted exhaustion, not to mention the cuts and bruises and dried blood on her face.

"Jesus fucking Christ...what the fuck happened Q?" Santana asked, her voice rising a little but full of concern and worry. She knelt down in front of the sleeping girl and gently brushed some hair away from the girl's face.

"She saved my life," Quinn answered softly as she kept her eyes on the slumbering body on her lap, ignoring the slight raise o the Latina’s voice. Well, it was Santana.

"It's a long story, San," she added when she saw the confusion on Santana's face.

“Oh no Quinn—”

“Santana,” Quinn cut her off firmly, meeting the girl’s scowl with a stern look, “I will tell you about it later, okay? Right now, we have to get out of here and take care of Rach.”

They both turned as Rachel stirred on her sleep, her eyes blinking a few times. Rachel's face went from blank to scrunching her face in confusion. The two girls smiled at the adorable sight.

"San?" Rachel called out, her voice barely a whisper.

Santana managed a small but relieved smile, “Hey you.”

Rachel lifted a hand and gently cupped the Latina's face, "You look tired."

Santana was caught off guard with Rachel's action and she couldn't control it when her eyes turned watery at the simple but sweet gesture. She placed a hand above Rachel's that was holding her and watched as the diva's eyes blinked a few times before closing completely. Santana glanced at Quinn who saw the gesture from the small brunette. They stared at each other and their eyes share the same look of regret and guilt for the sweet girl.

"Come on. Let's go get her to my car," Santana said as she got up to her feet and took the sleeping girl in her arms, carrying her bridal style. Quinn walked beside her.

"We should take her to a hospital."

Quinn shook her head as she sat at the passenger seat, giving a quick glance at Rachel who was lying on the back seat, "She doesn't want to. I tried to convince her but she was being stubborn.

Santana rolled her eyes at that, "Alright. My house then," she put on her seatbelt and drove away from the park just as a mobile car passed by them.

Quinn scoffed, "They're slow."

"What do you expect? This is Lima."

"Well, at least you got there before they did. I'm not really sure what to tell them."

"What the hell happened anyway?"

"I'll tell you later, San. I think we should tell Britt about this."

"Fine. I'll call her once we get home," Santana mumbled under her breath, disappointed and annoyed for keeping her in the dark.

As they were nearing the Lopez residence, Rachel was already awake. Sort of. The tiny brunette was a little groggy and it took her a while to realize where she was. She sat up abruptly and regretted it right away. She fell back on the back seat with a groan. Her body hurt _everywhere_! She's had worse but it didn't mean she was numb from it. Besides, it wasn't like she got beat up so often.

What was wrong with her lately? First Puck and now, Quinn? She was losing in her own game. How embarrassing.

"Oh good. You're awake. I was getting worried. How are you feeling?" Quinn asked, shifting from her seat to check on the injured brunette.

"Ugh. Like hell."

Quinn looked sympathetic but offered Rachel a small smile. She was just relieved that the tiny diva didn't get seriously hurt, "Just hang on there, okay? We're almost at Santana's."

Rachel scrunched up her nose, "Santana?"

"I'm here, Midge."

"Oh."

Of course somebody had to be on the driver's seat since Quinn wasn't. Rachel mentally smacked the back of her head. She probably hit her head earlier or something. She was being so not herself.

Rachel sat up slowly, settling herself in the middle of the back seat. Quinn's eyes were still on her, watching her every move. She could see Santana stealing glances at her from the rearview mirror.

"Well, hello Santana."

The deep frown on the Latina's face disappeared and was replaced with a relieved and sincere smile, "Hey there, Smurfette."

Rachel pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side. She had no clue how she got in to the car or when Santana arrived at the park to pick them up. Well, she thought she saw the Latina a while ago...

That wasn't a dream?

"Hmm...Was I out long?"

"Not much. About fifteen to twenty minutes," Quinn answered.

"I see," Rachel sighed. The idiots really got a number on her. She frowned in annoyance. What a blow on her ego. The three stooges weren't even worth a fight. _Supposedly_. And yet...

Ugh.

Her dad, Leroy, was right. She had been slacking off lately. But with school and Glee and just about everything in her life, she couldn't find the time to hone her 'other talent.' She's going for Broadway. Not a Hollywood action star.

But with what happened tonight, she had never been more thankful that her Dad taught her how to defend herself. Though she dreaded for the day that she had to condone to violence—not counting fight club, she was just grateful it was to save Quinn.

Well, sort of. If it wasn't for Quinn, Sasquatch would have probably beaten her up to death. But then, if Quinn didn't get held hostage, she would have done waayyy better than that. No, seriously. Like sooo much better. Amazing even. Outstanding. And just...badass!

Damn it.

Rachel groaned. She sucked.

"Tiny, are you sure you don't want to go to a hospital?" Santana asked, mistaking the sound of Rachel's internal turmoil as a cry of pain.

Rachel shook her head, shoving her thoughts about tonight's event at the back of her head and buried it deep. Never to be opened again.

"Are you sure, Rach? You could have internal bleeding for all we know."

Rachel's lip twitched in a slight curve, "I'm fine, Quinn. And I'm sure I'm not suffering from internal bleeding. He didn't hit me that hard."

Quinn scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Rachel huffed and crossed her arms, "It is true."

"Rachel, that guy beat you up and hit you with a stick as big as a baseball bat!"

"Now, you’re exaggerating. It was merely a stick. Besides, it only happened because there's a knife on your throat!"

"What?!"

The two girls gasped in surprise and fell forward as Santana slammed on the break before turning her full attention on the brunette.

"The fuck are you talking about, Rach?!"

"You haven't told her yet?" Rachel asked, eyeing the blonde.

"I was sort of saving it for later. You know. So we can go home in peace. Not in pieces. Santana's not a safe driver when she's pissed."

"I'm right here and I can hear you," the Latina deadpanned, "Besides, I'm already pissed. Look at Rachel!" Santana motioned to Rachel's direction. She didn’t really care if it sounded that she was being protective of the tiny diva...because she really was. And she ignored the thought that it was sort of hypocritical. She admitted she had her fair share of hurting the girl, but she would never go as far as hurting her physically. Never. She would never lay a finger on Rachel. And just the thought of her getting assaulted like this...It just made her blood boil.

Quinn exhaled sharply.

Rachel scrunched her face. Did she look _that_ bad?

"San..."

"No, Q. You are telling me _right now_."

"Santana, Rachel is hurt. Sh--"

"I'm fi--"

"No, Rachel. You are not fine—"

Rachel shut her mouth tight. She really hated it when the blonde turned head bitch on her.

"—You're bleeding and you're injured. We need to know the extent of your injuries so we can identify a proper intervention for you. And if we find any broken bones on you or suspect any internal bleeding, we are dragging your ass to a hospital whether you like it or not. Got it?"

Rachel could only nod dumbly. Did Quinn just channel her?

"And you," Quinn turned her attention to the Latina and met her eyes, "Drive. We'll talk about it when we get home. Right now, Rachel needs medical attention."

Santana stared at her captain with narrowed eyes before sighing in defeat and started driving again, "Fine. But we’re talking about this, Q."

Quinn's face softened for her secret girlfriend. She reached out to her, placing her hand at the back of the Latina's head and gently massaged her scalp. She smiled when she felt Santana relaxed.

"San, baby, I know you're just worried. But everything’s going to be okay now."

Rachel's ears perked up at the term of endearment that—she would assume—unconsciously slipped out of Quinn's mouth. She noticed how it rolled off the blonde's tongue so easily and comfortably, and she couldn't ignore the uncomfortable, unknown tug in her heart.

Rachel released a sharp breathe. She didn't know where that feeling came from, or what that meant...or _why_ she felt that. She didn't have the strength to ponder on it. And quite frankly, she didn't care whatever it was.

Really. She didn't. She _shouldn't_.

Then why couldn't she tear her eyes away from the scene in front of her?

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Santana was just putting bandage on Quinn's small-and-not-really-deep-but-still-hurts-like-a-bitch scrape on her throat when the door of the living room burst open. Before any of them could react, a blur of blonde passed by and Quinn found herself being lifted from her seat and was engulfed in a bone crushing hug.

"Oh God Quinn! You're okay! You're alright! Thank God!"

"Brit--" Quinn was interrupted by a pair of lips crashing onto hers in a hard, passionate kiss that rendered her weak and breathless.

Brittany broke the kiss, her hands still on each side of Quinn's head as she stared hard on her still stunned girlfriend, "Do you have any idea how much you scared me tonight?! What were you doing out so late anyway?! Anything could happen! What if Rachel wasn't there with you?! And—oh God! Rachel! Where is she?? Is she okay?” Brittany scanned the room frantically without letting go of the other blonde.

Brittany was now on verge of tears while Quinn guiltily bit her bottom lip. The Head Cheerios opened her mouth in attempt to placate the raging blonde only to get interrupted by a glare from the dancer.

“I can't believe you Quinn!" With that, Brittany crashed her lips again with the shorter blonde’s.

Santana stared at the two blondes kissing in front of her, a little stunned and surprised at the sudden arrival of her other girlfriend. She shook her head in attempt to recover her senses.

"B, you really shouldn't be doing that. Rachel is just upstairs," Santana calmly chastised, breaking the two blondes.

Brittany frowned, sticking out her bottom lip, "Well, sorry for being worried sick for my girlfriend."

“Sorry, baby. I just don’t want Rachel to freak out if she sees you. I don’t think right now is the right time nor is it the best way for her to find out.”

Santana's face softened and pecked the tall blonde's lips to comfort her. Quinn smiled at the pouting blonde and pulled her again in a hug which was soon joined by the Latina.

"How's Rachel doing?" Brittany asked as the three of them broke the embrace and sat down on the couch. She pulled Quinn on her lap and wrapped her arms around the girl’s waist tightly, afraid to let go. The incident tonight scared her to death to the point that she found herself arriving at Santana's place in five minutes time instead of the usual ten. And she was the safest driver among the three of them.

"She's having a bath right now. She insisted on it since, according to her, it helps her relax and relieve some of the soreness," Santana answered, and then licked her lips as her face turned thoughtful, "And I just have this feeling that this isn't the first time she had gotten herself in this situation. She is surprisingly calm about what happened tonight and she isn't even bothered in just a slightest about her injuries. Like it was a regular occurrence. It’s quite...disturbing."

Quinn hummed in agreement, her hands distractedly playing with Brittany's hair, "I agree. And after the multiple blows she got tonight, I'm amazed she's still standing," she paused as she gathered her thoughts, her eyes turning solemn, "But I'm just so glad she's okay. I mean, that statement isn't even half of how I'm feeling right now. I was there. I watched her take those hits just because she was scared I'd get hurt. And that guy was twice as big as Rachel. His fist was half the size of her face!"

Brittany tightened her grip on the girl sitting on her lap who was trying so hard not to cry. Santana rubbed Quinn's thigh in an effort to comfort the blonde.

"I was so scared…” Quinn choked in whisper, “I shouldn't have gone out..."

"Hey, baby...it's not your fault. You wouldn't have known those bastards would be there."

"But that's just it, Santana! I know it's not safe to be out late. It's common sense! But I still did. How stupid was that?"

"Quinn. Stop. Just...stop," Brittany reprimanded, gently forcing the blonde to look at her, "You're not stupid and it's not your fault. We're in Lima. It's not like everyday bad things happen here. You just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. And I'm glad that you and Rachel are safe now. That's all that matters. Let's just forget about what happened tonight and move on. Do you understand?"

Quinn nodded but didn't say anything.

"Just don't do it again, okay? No more late night walks for you. For any of us. And when you go out, you will tell us. We deserve to know that. The same goes for me and Santana. We will inform each other about our whereabouts so we won’t worry."

"Okay, B," Quinn said quietly, burrowing her face on the tall blonde's neck.

"Speaking of," Santana started, arching an eyebrow on Brittany's direction.

"What?"

"Why are you here, B? I believed I told you to come here tomorrow morning instead because it's already late, and after what happened tonight, we have established that it's _dangerous_ to be out at this hour."

"Oh...that," Brittany grinned sheepishly, "I was really worried and scared and just...worried that I just had to be here."

Santana kept her eyes on the blonde—who was now shifting uncomfortably on her seat—looking unimpressed at the blonde's antics.

Brittany sighed in defeat, resting her head on Quinn's shoulder, "I was really scared, Santana. Do you really expect me to just sit and relax in my room after what you told me? Even if you assured me that everything's fine, I just...I just had to see them."

Santana sympathized with the tall blonde, scooting closer on her girlfriends as she placed an arm around Brittany, resting her head on her shoulder.

"I understand, B. I really do."

Yes. Santana understood quite perfectly. And then more. When Quinn told her what happened, she felt the fear of the possibility of losing the blonde that way...Rachel too. And she hadn't even talked to the diva yet. She had so much to say to her, she wouldn't even know where to begin.

Something shifted within Santana tonight. She had never been that scared in her entire life. And Santana Lopez didn't do fear...until tonight. She could have lost two of the most important people in her life. One of them, she had yet to prove herself to.  Not everybody could get a second chance such as this. And she was ready to make use of it in the best way she could.

Other than the fear, she was fuming. If she was a cartoon character, she would have turned red with smoke coming out of her nose and ears. Or if she was a marvel character, she would be green and big and would jump her way towards the police station then squash the bastards with her bare hands. And she wouldn't even feel guilty about it.

That's how pissed she was. Nobody messes with any of Santana's girls—yes that included Rachel—and got away with it.

However, she felt slightly better when Quinn told her how Rachel kicked their asses. Quinn described it with admiration and awe in her eyes that Santana would have been jealous if it wasn't Rachel.

But it was Rachel. She had always been amazing like that. Her small stature never stopped her from exchanging fists—alongside with Santana—with anyone that would try to hurt them. No matter the size or age, Rachel was ready to defend them, tooth for tooth.

And what happened tonight only proved it. Again. Like always.

And it just broke Santana's heart a little more than it already was just by the thought of it. She couldn't imagine what Quinn must be going through right now being at the receiving end. Rachel was ready to die for the blonde...when all she did—no, when all _they_ did, was nothing but be horrible to the small diva.

How was that fair? Rachel was killing them with her kindness. Always have. Always will. They used to hate her for it. Things would have been easier if Rachel would only learn to fight back.

But that's just her selfishness talking. It was an easy escape after all. And then they realized they didn’t deserve the easy way out. After everything they had done to Rachel, they deserved this kind of punishment.

And they would gladly accept it no matter how much it hurt. It was the _least_ they could do.

"So...Q, what were you doing in the park with Rachel?"

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel sighed in relief as soon as she felt the warm bath embraced her sore body. Exactly what she needed right now. Her injuries from last Friday night hadn't completely healed yet and after tonight, she was pretty sure it had gotten bad again.

She rested her head on the edge of the tub and closed her eyes as she replayed the events of that night. She didn't bother to think about the traumatic—on her ego—experience since she promised to bury the incident six feet underground.

So...about Quinn.

Rachel took a deep breath as she tried to calm her suddenly beating heart at the memory of the scene on the playground. Quinn was...She was...different. Well, it was mostly like she was back to her old self. Unguarded. Relaxed. No mask. No nothing. Just plain Lucy Quinn Fabray. She didn't even bother that she was crying in front of Rachel Berry, the sorest loser in school—and to think Quinn was crying because of Rachel.

But then again, before she was that, she was Quinn's bestest best friend. With that in consideration, she knew, just by looking at Quinn, if the girl was sincere or pretending. And the blonde was _really_ good at the latter. High school made Rachel realized that. But she couldn't fool Rachel no matter how good of an actress the blonde was. She could always see through Quinn. Besides, the diva was amazing at that forte. Her eyes were trained to detect the slightest hint of deceit on anyone's faces.

But tonight...Quinn was being...Lucy. Period. She didn't see the image of the Head Cheerio nor the Ice Queen. She saw a grown up version of Lucy...except the girl looked broken and remorseful instead of the warm, smiley face that Lucy usually had.

And Lucy wept for Rachel. The diva felt it and her heart ached for the blonde. She had never, and she meant ever, seen Quinn so...small and so vulnerable—even those times when they were just Rachel and _Lucy_. It was like Quinn could break in to pieces with just a flick of her finger. It was sad seeing her like that. It reminded Rachel of how she was when her world crumbled the moment her supposedly soul mates turned their backs on her.

And it hurt her. It pained Rachel to see someone she loved—and she still does—break down like that. It took all of her not to gather the sobbing girl in her arms and kissed the tears away...just the way she used to do when they were still friends.

But...

Quinn had immensely hurt her. Santana and Brittany too.

No.

They _killed_ her. Her heart stopped beating the moment they abandoned her, alone and freezing—literally—on the hallway to be laughed at by the student body. And she endured it for two freaking years.

Yes. She didn't loath the girls. Never could. Never will. But was she ready to forgive and forget? To pretend that nothing happened and live happily ever after? _Just like that_?

Rachel scoffed. As if. This was no fairy tale. Their stories weren't about a princess finding her prince charming. It was way more complicated than that. Actually, scratch that. Her situation was mind-boggling, weird and just...hopeless.

Who falls in love with three people all at the same time? Let alone her (ex) best friends who were all girls. Really. Which cliché story tells a story like that?

None. Because it didn't exist. It probably would if the situation was as simple as friends turned enemy turned friends again then realized they have feelings for each other. Now that's something that existed even in the real world.

But...polyamorous relationship? Nop. Never heard of that before. Unless the stories she found on the internet were true—what? She googled it.

Rachel shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself. What relationship? What love? They weren't even friends anymore. And she wasn't sure if they could still be—at least not as close as they used to be. The thing that connected them was just...so damaged. Dying if it's not already dead...right?

Then why was it that just the mere touch of skin to skin from the girls made her blood alive? It made her live again. She couldn't really explain it...but it felt like nothing had changed for the past two years. She still felt those little tingles on her skin whenever a hand would touch her, her heart still beat like crazy whenever she would meet their eyes, her breathing stopped whenever they would come near her...

And she would always find herself torn between feeling good about it and chastising herself for even feeling that way. She was supposed to be moving on...going forward. Not backwards. For almost two years, she had been telling herself that. And yet, here she was...still stuck somewhere in the middle. She would move one step forward, only to find herself stepping back without her realizing it.

Every. Single. Day.

But tonight...tonight she had found herself stepping one hundred times backwards. She had almost lost Quinn. She could have. With just one wrong move, Quinn would be lying on the ground with an open throat, slowly bleeding to death.

The thought sent shivers to her spine and she felt like throwing up. Rachel knew that guy would do it. She saw it in his eyes. It was cold, dead with intent to kill. And those eyes would probably haunt her for next nights to come.

The incident tonight had made her realize just how dip she had dig her own grave. She was in love with Quinn...just as she was in love with Santana and Brittany. That was something she had already established for a while now. It wasn't just attraction. It went way deeper than that. And it amazed her how their absence had only made the feeling dormant...not disappear.

And after this night, that feeling had awoken with a start—hitting her _hard_ on the face and it caught her off guard.

Now, she’s just as lost as ever. Where would this sudden comeback of feelings take her now? She had no place in their lives. _Not anymore_.

Then there's Quinn and her promise to make things better, as well as Brittany's cryptic message outside the cafe yesterday and their strange behavior towards her since summer.

Even Santana’s jealousy felt so...strange to her. She always knew when the Latina was jealous. She could sense it from a mile radius. She had always thought it was directed towards her because of Puck, but the sudden breakup made her think otherwise. Puck confirmed to her that Santana never did jealousy in the course of their so-called relationship. It was something that was alien to them. Even the Mohawk boy was a little weirded out on the Latina’s aggressiveness towards their tandem.

Rachel didn’t want to assume. But she really couldn’t find any sensible explanation towards Santana’s behavior. Puck had been with _a lot_ of other girls and Santana was unfazed about it— _except_ for Rachel.

Unless Santana really hated her that much.

Rachel scrunched her face. She wouldn’t go that far because then, it would counteract the sudden—still unexplained—sense of some kind of decent casualness towards her by the Latina. Granted, she’s still as bitchy as ever but it wasn’t like before and not as often. Come to think of it, Santana’s bitchy side only came out on certain situations; something that still confused Rachel.

She had the same observation with Quinn. Though not in the violent, crude way that Santana preferred, the sting of the Ice Queen was still there, freaking the hell out of everyone.

Then there’s Brittany who was _actually_ reaching out to her in her own strange ways. Rachel was _almost_ sure the tall blonde was trying—until Brittany gave her an ultimatum that sent all of those hopeful thoughts crashing down.

Damn it.

These girls were fucking with her head and it was driving her crazy. She really didn’t want this stress adding to her already taxing everyday life.

Rachel pulled her hair with both of her hands until she could feel the roots almost coming out of her scalp before letting out a frustrated cry.

“Rachel, are you okay in there?”

The diva was startled by the knocking on the door and the voice of Santana calling out to her. Her cheeks turned a shade of red when she realized how loud she was and that she wasn’t in her own bathroom and she probably had been there for forever. She didn’t even notice the water had turned cold.

 “Rachel?”

“I’m fine. I’m almost done here,” Rachel answered. With a sigh, she got out of the tub and dried herself with a towel. She walked towards the mirror and stared at herself. Her face contorted in disgust as she assessed her face.

Wow. She looked _awful_. She looked worse than a battered wife—not that she had any reference.

Rachel let out another sigh before picking up the clothes that Santana gave her. The girls had insisted that she spent the night there considering her condition and how late it was. She looked at the clothes and realized that the pieces of garment were actually hers—back to the days when they would stock up some clothes in each other’s houses just in case of impromptu sleepovers. Nostalgia struck her body as memories after memories flooded her mind, her heart constricting at every recollection she had of the four of them together.

Rachel shook her head to drive away the bittersweet memories and proceeded to dress herself. She didn’t want to ponder on it more. She was tired and sore and her body was on the verge of passing out.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

The three girls settled themselves on Santana’s room. Brittany was sprawled on the bed, having a staring contest with the ceiling. She was doing that a lot lately. Quinn plopped herself on a bean bag lying on the floor, her eyes having that faraway look. Santana was patiently standing in front of the bathroom door, her foot tapping on the ground with her arms crossed.

When they heard Rachel scream, they all went running upstairs, afraid that Rachel had hurt herself. Their anxiety grew when the diva didn’t answer right away. Santana already had the key of her bathroom on her hand, ready to unlock the door in case something happened to the tiny brunette. They sighed in relief when Rachel finally answered.

Now, they were just waiting for Rachel to come out so they could attend to her wounds. Quinn had just finished retelling her conversation with Rachel, putting emphasis on how Alex affected Rachel’s life. They knew they were being unreasonable for hating on Alex when they should just be thankful for what she did for Rachel. The girl practically saved Rachel’s life. No matter how hard it was to admit it, Alex had earned their respect just for being something that the three of them miserably failed to do—a friend to Rachel Berry.

But hey, that didn’t mean they would just accept defeat. Not a chance.

There was a sound of a door being unlocked and the three of them straightened in attention, all eyes focusing on the girl that emerged out of the bathroom. Before anyone could say anything, Brittany was already on her feet. With quick strides, she passed by the Latina and stood right in front of Rachel.

“Rachel,” Brittany breathed out, taking in the appearance of the tiny diva.

“Brittany?” Rachel took a step back, surprised at the unexpected presence of the tall blonde, “Hey. When did you get here?” she asked casually, offering a smile while trying to ignore the way Brittany was scrutinizing her.

“You’re…”

Brittany continued to stare at Rachel as if she said nothing. She couldn’t finish her statement as her heart dropped at the sight of the girl in front of her. There were large bruises on every corner of her face, her bottom lip was broken, and there was a small cut on her right cheek. She felt her eyes burn from the tears that were beginning to form. She blinked in attempt to stop it from falling. She hesitantly reached out her arms to the brunette, but pulled back in fear that the small girl would actually break. Swallowing the lump on her throat, she gave out a small cough, “C-Can I hug you?”

Rachel was a little baffled but found herself shrugging nonchalantly and nod. Within a second, she was engulfed in a warm embrace. She hissed a little at the contact when the tall blonde tried to squeeze her.

Brittany stepped back abruptly, her eyes widening comically and held her hands up, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!”

Rachel chuckled at Brittany’s reaction, “It’s fine, Brittany. You really didn’t hurt me. Relax.”

The tall blonde smiled sheepishly, biting her bottom lip, “Sorry. I was just...I’m just...” Brittany trailed off. She took a deep breath as she met Rachel’s curious eyes, “I’m just glad you’re here, Rachie.”

The tiny diva beamed at the sincerity on the blonde’s voice, “So am I. Thank you.”

There goes the fluttery feeling in her stomach—that she wasn’t supposed to feel—as she roamed her eyes around the room, her eyes landing on the three girls that used to be a part of her life. They still were part of it…just in a complicated and confusing manner.

Rachel cleared her throat to break the silence and clasped her hands in front, “So...we should all probably get some rest now. School tomorrow,” she said and winced a little for being too enthusiastic than she had intended to.

“Nu-uh, not until we do something about your injuries.”

Rachel frowned at the Head Cheerio who was now pulling her towards Santana’s bed, “But I’m fine!” She whined, fighting the urge to stomp her foot. She was serious. Her body was caving in from exhaustion.

“Shush,” Quinn waved her off, “Okay. Strip and lay on your back.”

Rachel’s jaw dropped, “What?”

Quinn rolled her eyes, “How am I supposed to see your injuries if you won’t take your clothes off?”

“B-but...”

“Come on, Tiny. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before.”

 Rachel was appalled, “Excuse you. It’s _everything_ you haven’t seen before!”

“Uh. No. We just saw you topless on the first day, remember?” Brittany teased with a playful grin.

“I wasn’t topless _topless_!” Rachel huffed. This time she really stomped her foot and crossed her arms, horrified at the reminder of that fateful day and quite annoyed for being ganged up, “Did you really have to remind that?” she mumbled lowly, earning a giggle from Brittany and a snort from the Latina.

“Come on, Rach. It’s almost midnight. Waaayy past your bed time,” Quinn said patiently, offering a tired but still lighthearted smile, “Let’s get this over with so we can all have our beauty sleep, okay?”

Rachel sighed in defeat. She really wanted to go to sleep so badly she was willing to take off her shirt. She glared playfully at Quinn, “Fine.”

“Thank you.”

“Let me just get some ice and the medicine kit downstairs,” Santana offered and she was out the door.

Rachel was still reluctant to strip off of her top. She shifted from one foot to another as she played with the hem of her shirt, weighing down the pros and cons of the situation.

“Umm...Quinn...”

Quinn looked up at the taller blonde, “Britt?”

Brittany met the blonde’s hazel eyes, silently sending a message while subtly stealing a glance on the tiny brunette who was wearing a concentrated frown on her face.

Taking the hint, Quinn nodded and smiled, “I think I’m gonna go check on Santana. Be right back.”

Brittany sent her girlfriend an appreciated smile before turning to the small girl who was now sitting at the edge of the bed, “Rach…”

“Yeah?” Rachel responded, still distracted with the idea of being half naked in front of the three most popular girls in school. She wasn’t really insecure of her body. She knew she had great abs thanks to her Dad for being strict on her routine. She got great legs too—from what she heard. And her chest...well, let’s not go there. All in all, she believed she had an amazing body. Not as amazing as her talent, but it’s something to be proud of.

However...when it came to these girls, her confidence seemed to falter. They intimidated her to no ends. There was a time that they brought out the best in her. But ever since they went to high school, all she could feel was pure insecurity. Who could blame her though? All these girls, and mostly half of the student body, did nothing but humiliate her and point out her ‘defects’ and call her names.

“Don’t do that. It’ll give you wrinkles,” Brittany stated, her voice low and gentle as she straightened out the diva’s eyebrows with her thumbs. She proceeded to hold the brunette’s face with both hands, positioning it just below the girl’s jaw.

Rachel was startled with the gesture. She was too spaced out to realize that she had been wearing a deep frown on her face. She lifted her head up, glancing at the blonde that was now standing in front of her. _Too closely_.

And the look on Brittany’s eyes had somehow caused her hear to pound on her chest for a different reason. Rachel fisted on the bed sheets, controlling herself from putting her hands on the blonde’s hips—just because it felt like it’s the right thing to do in this situation, okay? She’s a sucker for romance. So what?

Brittany stared at the starlet, her heart once again feeling for Rachel’s condition. Rachel looked so small she couldn’t imagine anyone—that was probably bigger than Finn Hudson—beating her up like this. Her jaw tensed as images of Quinn’s description on how that bastard had lifted Rachel from the ground and hit her nonstop.

Granted, Rachel did give them what they deserved but it seemed to not be enough to ease her worry. Rachel could have been _seriously_ hurt. Quinn too. And despite what she had told Quinn, she didn’t think she could ever forget this night even if she wasn’t there when it happened. Looking at Rachel right now, it was enough to let her _know_ how bad it had been. And it was enough of a trauma to last her a lifetime.

“You know, I never really thanked you for saving Quinn tonight,” Brittany said quietly, her gaze never wavering from the brunette.

Rachel met Brittany’s gaze with an intensity of her own, “No need to thank me. I just happened to be there, you know.”

“True. But still...if it weren’t for you...Quinn could...”

The brunette took Brittany’s hands with hers and squeezed them tightly. She smiled when she felt the blonde squeezed back. She ignored the butterflies flying around in her stomach as she ran her thumb on a circular motion on the girl’s hands in attempt to sooth the frowning blonde.

“Let’s not think about that, Britt. Honestly, I’m just as grateful that I was there. I mean, I know we have our... _differences_ —”

Brittany pursed her lips at that.

“—for the past few years. And I know things had been...difficult—”

The tall blonde’s frown grew deeper as she sensed the brunette struggling to choose her words.

“—but despite of all that, Quinn was once a part of my life and we had been through a lot growing up together. It’s not something I could just ignore just because we are having our...issues right now,” Rachel finished, letting go of the blonde’s hands as she tried to avoid eye contact with the her. The unspoken issue revolving around them had always made her feel uncomfortable.

Brittany felt her stomach dropped at how Rachel talked about Quinn—and most probably her and Santana too— in the past form.

“I would still be devastated if something bad happens to her. Especially in a very horrifying manner,” Rachel grimaced at the thought, remembering how that man looked while holding Quinn, “I just did what…I always do,” she added in a soft whisper, her gaze falling to her feet.

The tall Cheerios studied the brunette sitting on the bed. She took note of her slumped shoulder, her head down in a defeated manner…And Brittany’s heart ached…longing to reach for the dispirited girl. She placed a hand on the diva’s chin, lifting it so she could look at those big, brown eyes.

Rachel could feel her heart thumping against her chest as she got lost behind those deep blue eyes looking at her with honest sincerity and a glint of sadness and a lot of regrets.

"Rachel...I know things are really...screwed up. Badly. And please believe me when I say how sorry I am for everything that happened. I know it's not enough...It will never be enough, Rach. And things may be beyond repair but...we would really like to try and...fix it...for the lack of a better term," Brittany said lowly. She bit her bottom lip anxiously as she met the brunette's eyes.

"And...I'd like to start by apologizing for what happened today. It was...uncalled for, selfish, careless and really, really stupid. I don't know what came over me to utter those words and I regret it so bad...And if there's any way I can do to make it up to you, Rach, I would do it."

Rachel blinked. Wow. Overwhelmed would be a major understatement. Quinn was already too much to handle. And now, Brittany's telling her pretty much the same thing as Quinn. Just...wow. She didn't even know how to feel about all of these sudden dramas.

What's with these girls tonight? Did they plan on drowning her with these emotions and then drove her to insanity? Seriously. These girls...Ugh. She couldn't even find the words anymore.

Brittany's eyes had always been the most expressive ones among the four them, hers being the second. Quinn's and Santana's tended to be guarded and blank most of the time except for certain situations—like tonight. And just by looking at those blue eyes right now, she just knew. She knew Brittany meant every damn word.

Rachel was doing her best to ignore all the tension and different emotions flying around the room. She tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible until Brittany approached her. She wasn't really sure how much more she could handle tonight. Well, so much for trying.

Brittany, feeling worried by Rachel’s silence, kneeled in front of her so she could catch the avoidant brown eyes. She engulfed the small hands with her own and gave it a gentle squeeze, “Rach...I know this is too much too soon. But...after tonight...” the blonde paused and let out a sigh, “I was really scared, Rachie. Super scared. And...God. I just want you to know that...that I-I care for you. A lot. I never really stopped, you know. You don’t know how much I regret—”

“Stop.”

“Rachel...”

“Please,” Rachel whispered, her voice wavering. She gently took her hands away from the blonde, taking notice on the hurt that plastered on Brittany’s face. She ignored it, however, as she was battling with her own emotional crisis, “I’m sorry, Britt.”

Brittany managed to smile a little, but it was a sad one, barely keeping her lips from trembling, blinking away the tears that burned in her eyes, “It’s fine. I understand.”

Rachel kept her gaze at the wall behind Brittany, getting herself lost in her own thoughts. Tonight, the girls were treating her like a fragile. It was as if she’s some thin glass that would shatter if not handled with care and it was giving her all kinds of crazy feelings. It was freaking messing up her mind. And she felt scared. Really scared.

Because little moments like this was what made the string that bound her to her former best friends pull her closer to them—too close she might add. It was frustrating how it was all against her will and yet, the strong want to be with consumed her so easily. And now that her dormant feelings had awoken, she was doing her best to fight against that pull...

Because she knew she could never handle a repeat of what the girls did to her. It would totally damage her beyond repair and she feared how it would affect her. She was certain she would never survive it this time.

She couldn't die for the second time. Nobody could.

Rachel groaned. Jesus Christ. This was by far the longest night she ever had. She could feel her head pounding. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

"Rachel?" Brittany called softly, leaning closer to the brunette.

"Sorry, Brittany. I'm just...not feeling really well. I think I'm coming down with a migraine."

"Considering your condition, I’m not really surprised. You should lie down."

"No, that's fine. I'm just going to wait for Quinn and Santana. I need those pain meds anyway."

As if on cue, the two mentioned girls entered the room with a soft knock. Santana was carrying a glass of water and ice pack while Quinn had the medicine box on her.

"Okay, Tiny. Drink this. Then get naked," Santana started with a smirk, a glint in her eyes, handing the diva two tablet of Ibuprofen. If she felt the tension in the room, she paid no heed to it.

"Uhh...no. I think I'm just going to lift my shirt up," Rachel protested after placing the glass of water on the night stand.

"Rach...are we having this argument again?" Quinn said with a quirk of her brow, hands on her hips. She too, ignored the heavy atmosphere in the room.

Rachel winced a little at the stern tone but still managed to roll her eyes, "I'm not really wearing anything underneath this shirt, you know. And I do believe that neither of us here would be comfortable with me ‘flashing my chest’ in front of you--"

Santana blatantly stared at Rachel's chest; Quinn looked down to hide the faint blush on her cheeks but a smile on her lips, while Brittany was biting her cheek to stop herself from grinning.

"--Besides, the extent of my injuries ranges only on my lower back and abdomen. Therefore, 'getting naked' isn't really necessary. Thank you very much," Rachel finished her rant with a huff.

"Are you sure you don’t bruises somewhere elese?"

"Yes, Quinn. I've checked."

Quinn sighed and sat beside the tiny brunette, "Alright. If you say so."

Rachel began to lift her shirt up, acting nonchalant with the gasps that she heard from the other occupants of the room.

"What? It's not that bad."

"Jesus, Rachel. That shit looks fucking nasty."

"Oh Rachie..."

"I'm sorry..."

Rachel quickly turned her head on the blonde beside her, taking note of the trembling voice. Her heart dropped when she saw hazel eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Quinn...you don't have to apologize. This isn't your fault—please, don't cry,” Rachel hastened to ease the troubled blonde.

"But--"

"No. None of this is your fault," Rachel said firmly, "I went to that park in my own free will, remember? You just happened to be there as well. And, unfortunately, so as those morons."

"But you didn't have to stay though. It's me they wanted," Quinn murmured.

Rachel stared, her lips tight, "Okay. I'm not really sure which part of your statement I should be more offended, Quinn. The idea that you would even think I would just leave you there? Or the part where you insinuated that I am unwanted? Not that I would be ecstatic to be wanted by addicts turned rapists with homicidal tendencies."

Quinn shook her head, "That's not--"

Rachel held her hand up to cut off the blonde's statement, "Never mind. That's not important. Either way, I'm just glad we're okay and still breathing. Now, let's just get this over with because the cold air is kind of making me really uncomfortable," she stated with a frown, her bruises contracting due to being exposed to the cold air.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Quinn smiled sheepishly. She fetched the ointment from the medicine box and applied a small amount on her index and middle fingers. She began to apply it lightly on the brunette's back.

Brittany snatched the ointment from the shorter blonde's hands. Copying Quinn's action, she began to apply some ointment on Rachel's abdominal area as well. Santana, on the other hand, held the ice pack on the singer's swollen cheek.

Rachel’s breath hitched, shivers running through her body as fingers made contact with her skin. She didn’t know if it was due to the cold or the mere fact that the two blondes were touching her in a very gentle and soft manner. She hoped it was the former. Her grip on her shirt tightened as she kept her eyes glued on a black spot on the wall.

Then she felt a hand crawl at the back of her neck, gently massaging it, long fingernails gently scratching on her scalp. Before she could control herself, she let out a satisfied hum, her eyes feeling heavy.

Then there was warm breath tickling her right ear, followed by a pair of soft, wet lips, causing her to feel lightheaded—her body too weak and tired to put up a fight. Then another pair of soft lips was pampering her left shoulder with butterfly kisses, leaving goose bumps on its track. Then she felt soft fingers running up and down across her bare thighs, drawing little circles with a barely there touch which was soon joined by a third pair of lips, teasing your skin with light kisses. A throaty moan escaped Rachel’s lips, marveling the blissful sort of erotic state she was in.

God. This felt so fucking good.

“Rachel...” the husky voice nibbling on her right ear called but she didn’t answer. Instead, she bit her bottom lip to restrain another moan threatening to escape her lips.

“Rach...” another voice called her name.

“Hmm...” Rachel hummed distractedly, her mind still I cloud nine.

“Rachel...Wake up, Rach...”

“H-Huh?”

Rachel shut her eyes open, confusion written all over her face. What the-? She blinked her eyes rapidly as she tried to gather her thoughts. She realized that she was now lying down on the bed, the girls hovering above her, looking at her with concern.

“Rachie...are you okay?”

More blinking. Then realization dawned onto her. She just had an erotic fantasy-slash-dream about her ex-best friends who were now staring at her with frowns on their faces. With a speed of light, she was out of the bed and on her feet, aware of the looks the trio was giving her.

“I-I...uh...how long was I asleep?”

“Umm...just a few minutes, I guess. We were just about to sleep too. Then you were making these noises...We thought you were in pain or something,” Brittany explained, “Are you okay?”

_Noises Rachel? NOISES?!_

The diva mentally smacked her forehead. She wanted to die right there and then. How embarrassing. She could feel her cheeks burning, her heart pounding, her thoughts racing with different not so innocent thoughts regarding the three gorgeous girls in the room—whom she just noticed were now wearing skimpy sleep clothes.

“Uh...” Rachel cleared her throat, “Yeah. I-I’m good. I’m okay. We should probably go to sleep now. It’s getting really late. Good night!” she hurriedly blurted out. Without waiting for a reply, she turned around and headed for the door.

A hand grabbing her wrist stopped her just as she was turning the knob.

“Whoa. Wait up. Where are you going, Rae?”

“Um...to sleep?”

“You’re not...staying here?” Brittany asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Rachel pursed her lips in concentration, her eyes danced at the trio. She gnawed on her bottom lip. She was _seriously_ considering it but...

“No. Sorry. I guess it’s best for me to stay in the guest room. I’ll just show myself out. I’ll see you girls tomorrow,” with a nod and a tight smile, Rachel went out of the room.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel tossed and turned on the bed. She’d like to think that the discomfort and pain from her bruises was the reason why she couldn’t sleep. But she knew better. Her body was screaming at her to get rest but her mind was swirling with a million thoughts that she couldn’t keep her eyes close. The dream she had earlier had kept her hot and bothered.

Like _really_ bothered. And worried. And confused. And frustrated. And feeling hot. And wanting more. And just...bothered.

Shit.

“What the fuck was that?” Rachel whispered to the quiet room.

What a night.

Just as she was about to try her luck to finally get some sleep, she heard the door opened, a dark figure stepping inside and then the door closed again. Rachel’s heart skipped a beat, the sudden intrusion of a dark shadow scaring the hell out of her but she couldn’t find herself to scream. She had always been afraid of the dark and her imagination actively working as the shadow approached her.

“Wh-who’s there?”

There was a girlish giggle coming from the shadow, confusing the brunette even more. She didn’t know ghost could giggle like that.

“Still afraid of the dark, Rach?”

Rachel sat up when she recognized the voice, “Quinn?”

Without answering, Quinn made her way towards the bed. She pulled the covers back and situated herself beside the bewildered diva.

“Wha—”

“Shh..Go to sleep, Rachel,” Quinn said gently, smiling when she felt the diva lay back on the bed without further hesitation.

Rachel turned her back from the blonde, scooting herself as far away from her as possible. She didn’t know why Quinn was there but she wasn’t sure if she could trust herself with being in such a close proximity with the girl.

Just as she was about to finally fall asleep, she felt the blonde shift and suddenly, there was a warm body pressed against her back, an arm possessively wrapping around her waist. She could feel Quinn’s breathing on the back of her neck, causing a tingling feeling to course through her body.

Wait...was she dreaming again? Fuck the gods if she was. Why was this happe—

“Good night, Rae.”

Rachel’s heart skipped, the heat on her body moving towards her core when she heard and _felt_ the husky, sexy voice of Quinn Fabray on her neck. She was silent for a while, willing for herself to wake up if this was, in fact, just a dream.

“I know you’re still awake.”

Rachel smiled at that. It was Quinn’s translation to ‘Say it back or I won’t let you sleep until you do.’

 “Good night, Lucy.”

Nope. Not a dream. Thank God. After this long, tiring night, she at least deserved this euphoric moment.

Dreaming or not.


	11. Chapter 10

Quinn opened her eyes and she was met with the bruised face of Rachel, comfortably placed on the crook of her neck, her soft breathing tickling her skin. She frowned at the memory of what happened last night. Somehow, she still felt so guilty about it. She lightly traced the diva's face with her fingers, careful not to touch the wounds.

Last night, she couldn't sleep despite the fact that her girlfriends were tangled around her body protectively. Her mind was occupied by a certain brunette that was on the other room. She couldn't shake off the uncomfortable constrict in her heart brought by the thought that the diva was sleeping alone in the dark. She knew how much Rachel hated the dark.

Finally relenting to her heart's wishes, she slowly untangled herself from Santana and Brittany, softly whispering to them before making her way towards the guest room. She stood in front of the door that separated her from the diva, anxiously contemplating if she should enter—but the strong desire to hold the tiny girl went against any worries she had.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and quietly sneaked in the room. She wasn't really surprised to see that the girl was still awake. Before things got awkward and questions asked, she quietly strode towards the bed and lay beside Rachel.

Quinn was just relieved that the small brunette didn't show even the slightest discomfort when she invaded her personal space. It didn't even take long before she drifted off to sleep with Rachel's sweet scent engulfing her senses.

Quinn basked in the feeling of having the lone figure wrapped around her body. One of Rachel's arms was draped on her stomach, lightly touching a small portion of her exposed skin due to her top being lifted during her sleep. She felt tingles traveling somewhere south of her body with the slight skin to skin contact, the feeling heightening when the hand started moving up inside her shirt.

The blonde took a sharp breath through her nose and chanced a glance at the tiny figure in her arms. Rachel's eyes were still closed and her breathing was even. Quinn was certain that the brunette was still asleep.

If not for that small, unmanly hand that were currently running up and down across her abs.

Quinn's eyes widened, almost bulging out of their sockets when the said not-really-offending-for-her-part hand traveled a little further up, almost brushing the lower part of her bare breasts. Because, you know, who sleeps with a bra on?

The Head Cheerio froze on her spot, as well as the tiny hand that decided to park just below her left breast. She was, in no doubt, now fully awake but her brain seemed to have stopped functioning properly as she remained stagnant on the bed.

She silently contemplated on how she was going to handle the situation without it being awkward for the two of them. Waking Rachel up was not an option for obvious reasons. She could try to remove the sneaky hand under her shirt but that might stir the brunette up. Or she could just pretend sleeping until the other occupant in bed woke up.

Yeah. That's perfect. It's not like she's complaining that the diva was sort of feeling her up.

Quinn tried to relax her rapidly beating heart and closed her eyes but the soft knock on the door broke any chance of her getting back to sleep. She opened one eye and wasn't really surprised to see two heads popping in from the door. And if it was someone else, she would have jumped out of the bed and scrambled her way out of the room. Instead, she found herself shrugging without waking the diva and smiling sheepishly at the amused looks that her girlfriends gave her as they entered the room. She couldn't help but roll her eyes when the Latina mouthed a 'seriously?' while pointing at the hand still lying atop her now half exposed torso while Brittany was giggling quietly.

"Later," Quinn mouthed back, careful not to make any movements. She couldn't take any chances of the diva waking up with her two girlfriends in the room and then freak out the moment she realized that her hand had somehow traveled somewhere that it wasn't supposed to. Not that Quinn minded but knowing Rachel, the diva would totally flip out. She could already see the diva clutching her chest, her warm, brown eyes wide as she attempted not to hyperventilate. And if things could get any worse, Rachel would probably run out of the house even before the blonde, or any of her girlfriends, could utter a single word.

No. Quinn couldn't let that happen. It was crucial that she, Santana and Brittany tried to ease any awkwardness that was currently surrounding the four of them in order for them to begin re-establishing any sort of friendship with the singer. Really. The three of them would settle for at least being civil towards Rachel.

For now.

Well, whatever that would make Rachel comfortable. It wasn't really their call. They would be fine with just being able to talk to the singer without things getting weird or out of hand like their past encounters these past few days. She and her girlfriends just needed to start somewhere on their journey to redemption.

Quinn looked up at her two girlfriends, silently conveying her message that they needed to leave the room before the brunette wakes up. The two girls nodded and she relaxed a little bit when the door closed and she was once again left to her own devices with the sleeping brunette. She glanced at the wall clock and groaned inwardly when she saw that it was only five in the morning. But they have Cheerio practice at seven and being the captain, she had to be there thirty minutes before. And by default, so as her two girlfriends.

She sighed. Her plan of feigning sleep getting thrown out the window. She had to get up now or she would be facing Sylvester's wrath for being tardy. And it was way too early for that. After last night, she wasn't really in the mood for anything rough today. Or she would seriously flip. And honestly? She _almost_ felt sorry for the whole of McKinley when she was on her worst mood swings. She would definitely lash out on anyone.

Well, except this girl who was currently curled up beside her whose hand began moving again. Quinn stiffened at the sudden movement. She shut her eyes tightly and bit her lip to stop herself from making any kind of noise when she felt soft lips against her neck. She tried to even her breathing, swallowing a lump on her throat as the movements from beside her stilled for a few seconds.

Then her eyes opened in mild surprise, her mouth slightly parting when she felt something warm and wet touched her skin. Quinn thought that her heart would leap out of her chest when she realized that it was actually Rachel's tongue. The singer must have licked her lips that was sort of currently attached to her neck and in the process, the soft muscle had accidentally made contact with her skin.

Quinn could feel every cell in her body run wildly at that very little, one millisecond long encounter with the diva's tongue. She wasn't really surprised at her body's reaction to it considering her obvious attraction to the girl, but it didn't make the situation easier for her as she balled her fists tightly against the sheets, struggling to stop herself from turning and attacking the sleeping girl with her lips.

What? She’s a perfectly normal teenage girl and having raging hormones was part of it.

The blonde cheerleader bit her lip hard, her eyebrows meeting in hard concentration. Half of her wished for Rachel to turn away from her and relieved her from her suffering, the other half enjoying the thrill that ran through her system that their current state had caused her.

Quinn couldn't help but released a slow, long breath through her mouth when she felt Rachel moved her hand on a part of her body that was at least acceptable—on her belly, just a few inches away from her...you know.

Huffing, Quinn finally decided that it was enough torture for her at five in the morning. Because, really, she could only take so much.  Gently grabbing Rachel's sneaky hand, she moved it away from her and placed in on the side. As quietly as she could, she untangled herself from the brunette and slowly got out of bed. She smiled at the slight whimper that the diva released.

Quinn stood beside the bed, looking down at the sleeping figure, simply making the best of this silent moment alone with Rachel. It's not like every day the blonde could actually stare at the singer like this without looking like a creep, right?

Sighing, she brushed the bangs away from the brunette's face and lightly placed a barely there kiss on the Rachel's forehead. Quinn bit her lip as she fought the urge to smile wider when she heard the content sigh from the girl. With much struggle, the Head Cheerio finally decided to exit the room to properly greet her girlfriends and take a shower.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Quinn, Santana and Brittany sat at the kitchen island, already dressed with their cheerleading uniform while munching on some toast and drinking their protein shake.

"So..." Brittany started, earning the two girls' attention.

"What is it, B?"

"I kinda talked to Rachel last night about...you know..."

The tall blonde sighed when her girlfriends gave her questioning looks, "I apologized to her for everything that happened...and stuff."

"And stuff?"

Brittany met Quinn's eyes and shook her head quickly, understanding the look of incredulously that the other blonde gave her, "No. I didn't tell her about...us," she whispered the last part, looking at the kitchen entrance as if Rachel would just appear out of nowhere.

"Oh."

"I'm not that careless, Quinn," Brittany said gently, placing a hand over Quinn's lap,

"Sorry, B," Quinn apologized, shaking her head for being ridiculous.

"It's okay," Brittany gave her girlfriend a small smile, "Anyway, I just told her how sorry I am for what we did to her. And..." She trailed off as she jutted her bottom lip, looking down at her toast and started to break it into bits and pieces.

"And?" Santana drawled out, both her and Quinn staring at the blue eyed girl expectantly.

"I-I think I made her feel bad," the tall blonde mumbled, her voice barely a whisper as her eyes began to tear up.

The other two Cheerios looked at each other confusedly then back to the distraught blonde but didn't say anything, waiting for their girlfriend to continue.

"I'm not really sure what happened," she shrugged, "I guess it was too much too soon. I mean after what happened last night and then Quinn talked to her about the same thing too. I guess it got too much for her," she paused and took a deep breath, glancing up to look at her girlfriends who were wearing a look of understanding on their faces, "I didn't mean it. My emotions got the better of me. I was just so overwhelmed with the idea that she could have gotten seriously hurt and..."

"Hey..." Santana started as she reached out for the blonde's hand and squeezed it, "It's okay, B. We have our moments like that. We were all in a lot of stress last night. It's not your fault your emotions got the better of you."

"But that's just it. We were all stressed out, especially Quinn and Rachel. Not to mention she was physically hurt. I could have been more sensitive and tactful when I approached her. Better yet, I shouldn't have just said anything. I'm so stupid."

"Brittany," Quinn reprimanded in a stern tone, "Don't say that. We are way past that stage now. You are not stupid, okay? So you acted based on your emotions. It happens. Yes, it was tactless—"

Brittany pouted.

“—but you can't beat yourself up about it, baby. We caught her off guard. I understand why she reacted that way. I mean, we just blurted out our apologies to her out of the blue after making her life hell for two years," Quinn went to the other blonde and hugged her waist, " Don't feel bad, baby. I'm sure Rachel was just tired and probably traumatized about last night that's why she acted that way. You have a pretty bad timing, Little Duck."

A loud sigh was heard in the room and the two blondes both turned their attention to the Latina.

"San?"

"I'm not really sure about the traumatized part," the Latina mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

Santana pursed her lips in thought, silently contemplating on what she wanted to say, "It's just that Rachel didn't really look traumatized to me. I mean, you know how she is. She could get pretty dramatic about stuff and from what I've observed last night, she was anything but that. And what happened last night isn't really something anyone would just shrug off."

The kitchen was surrounded with silence for a while as the three girls get lost in their own thoughts, pondering on what the Latina had said.

"It's probably not a big deal. We haven't really been around her for quite a while. Maybe she's changed. Maybe she isn't as dramatic as she used to be."

Santana shook her head, "I don't know, Q. She was pretty...nonchalant about it. It's just weird. B and I were more freaked out than her. And we weren't even there! I didn't expect her to like, have a panic attack or something, but she could at least react about what happened. But all she did last night was have a bath, talk a little then went to sleep as if she wasn't just mauled by a giant and almost got killed."

The brunette looked straight at the two blondes and continued, "She was all bruised up when we saw her at the park last week too, remember? And we caught on Puck lying about it—which didn't even make sense, by the way. Why does he need to lie about it? And he was being annoyingly cryptic when we called on him."

"What are you trying to say, San?" Brittany asked warily.

The Latina shrugged, "I'm not trying to say anything here. All I know is that something is up with her and I have a bad feeling about it, and that Puck knows whatever the hell is going on with Rachel right now."

The two blondes took notice of the determined look on the brunette's face as well as the concern and worry in her eyes which they knew she was trying to hide.

"What are you thinking about, Santana?" Quinn inquired, one of her brow rising as she gave the Latina a pointed look.

Santana smirked, "I'm going to find out whatever the crap this is that's been bothering me since we gave her a ride a month ago and saw that unusual bruise on her cheek so that I can finally sleep peacefully at night. After last night, I don't think I would be surprised if one day, I would hear about the hobbit being brought to the hospital."

"San!"

"What? It's possible. Did you see her body last night? Some of those bruises are a few days old and you can't deny it."

The two blondes remained silent, knowing that what the Latina said was true. They had the same observation too but none of them called out on it. And now that Santana pointed it out, they couldn't help but wonder if there was a real reason behind Rachel wearing unusually thick makeup.

"Now I'm really worried about her. Do you think she's being...abused?"

Quinn and Santana both frowned, silently considering the idea, their faces hardened as images of Rachel being beaten up flooded their mind.

"I-I don't know, Britt. Rachel's tough, you know. I can't imagine her letting someone hurt her without a fight. She could be pretty stubborn if she wants to. I mean, I saw how she defended us last night. She could put up a really good fight."

"You have a point, Q. I wasn't there last night but you do remember our tandem back in the days, right? We kicked ass! We made the boys cry and ran to their moms," Santana reminisced with a proud smirk on her lips.

Quinn chuckled at the memory while Brittany managed a smile which soon faded as her next statement brought back the tension around them.

"But that was a long time ago. Rachel stopped fighting for herself the moment we started high school. And...we personally experienced it ourselves."

Well, damn. Leave it to Brittany to slap reality into them. They had almost forgotten that simple fact. They had gotten used to the system of McKinley that they had stopped questioning about everything else. They were the top dogs in school and they had to keep it that way no matter what. Period.

However, they had always wondered about Rachel's passive reaction to them. They had always known the diva to not take any crap from anyone else. She had always be the one to fight for her own beliefs and defend those who were close to her. She was a determined individual and nothing could deter her once she had set her mind into something.

But Brittany was right. Those things had changed about Rachel. Though she would still hold her head high despite all the bullshit brought by high school, she never really fought back—except for that one time with Finn Hudson.

And even now, they were yet to hear anything from the diva. Other than the few hints and verbal onslaught they received from her which was all just a spur of the moment thing and Rachel even apologized for them (for God's sake!), the singer was yet to address the issue about the past and their sudden interest to patch things up with her.

Their conversation came to a halt when they heard quiet footsteps descending the stairs and the center of their conversation popped in the entryway to the kitchen. They were welcomed with a smiling little brunette, hair dripping wet and wearing the same clothes that she had the previous night. The girls couldn’t help but return the smile as they noticed the radiating energy from the diva.

“Good morning!” Rachel beamed to the three girls though she was a bit surprise to see them up and about at six in the morning. She was greeted with soft murmurs of ‘good morning’ from the trio.

“How are you feeling?” Quinn asked.

“Good, I guess. I’m still pretty sore all over but I’ll survive,” Rachel said with a shrug.

“Come sit, Rach. Let me make you some breakfast,” Santana said as she patted the available seat next to her.

“Oh no. That’s fine. I don’t want to impose,” Rachel politely declined as she remained rooted on her spot albeit feeling a little out of place.

Santana scoffed, “Seriously, Hobbs? You’re a guest. I insist. Come on. Sit here. I’ll be quick,” she said as she stood from her spot to make Rachel breakfast.

“But—” Rachel tried to protest, concerned about her veganism. She knew it could get pretty toxic to prepare a vegan meal.

“Don’t worry,” Quinn interrupted the diva as she walked towards her, gently grabbing her arm as she ushered the standing brunette towards the seat, “S knows how to make vegan friendly breakfast. I promise,” she said as if reading the diva’s thoughts.

Rachel subtly stiffened when her skin made contact with the blonde, a sudden spark running through her body, making her heart beat fast as she remembered the vivid dream she had about the girl this morning. It felt so real to her. It was the same soft skin that was holding her now, except it was Rachel that was doing the touching in that dream. She felt her skin heat up as a replay of her dream came rushing through her thoughts. She had to take an early cold shower the moment she woke up because of it despite the protest of her aching muscles.

The singer settled herself on the chair as she tried to distract her raging hormones by making small talk.

“Cheerio practice?”

“Yep. At seven,” Quinn answered casually.

“Oh okay,” Rachel replied, cursing herself for her poor attempt to start a conversation.

It was a small talk alright. Literally.

It was so not like her. She couldn’t help it though when she had a not so friendly dream about the girls surrounding her right now. Last night was bad enough and just this morning, she had a repeat of it only it was about Quinn. What was wrong with her?

Damn hormones.

“What’s wrong with your left eye, Rach?” Brittany asked, finally noticing that the girl had been covering her left eye since she came in.

“Oh, this?” Rachel said distractedly, pushing her inappropriate thoughts at the back of her head, “Uh...I woke up and it was pretty swollen. I’m having a hard time keeping it open,” _And a bit self-conscious because I look like crap in compared to the three of you,_ she added in her thoughts.

Rachel was taken by surprised when in a swift motion, the Head Cheerio was on her side, getting a hold of her wrist that was covering her eye.

“Let me see.”

“No. It’s fine.”

“Rachel Berry.”

Rachel huffed, letting the blonde take her hand away from her eye. She could never argue when Quinn was channeling her inner head bitch, especially when she’s using that same bossy, intimidating tone of hers.

“Jesus, Rachel! That’s nowhere near fine,” Quinn exclaimed as she carefully examined Rachel’s eye.

The diva squirmed uncomfortably on her seat at the attention she was getting. She could see from the corner of her eyes that Santana stopped what she was doing to take a peek at her while Brittany was giving her concern looks.

"I'm fine, really," Rachel insisted, shifting her head away from the Head Cheerio's hold.

"We've ran out of ice, but this will do," Santana said, placing a pack of frozen peas on the table. Quinn was quick to grab it, holding it gently on the brunette's swollen eye.

Rachel flinched a little but her heart fluttered due to the closeness she had with the blonde. She appreciated the gentleness and the soft, warm fingertips that were currently holding her chin to keep her head in place. Feeling conscious and concern that Quinn's arm maybe tired from holding the frozen peas, she carefully took hold of it herself. Their hands brushed slightly as their gazes locked for a few seconds. She couldn't deny the tingles that spread throughout her body with that little contact.

Rachel became aware of the current state of her face. She wasn't really a sight to see with her face looking like a beat up fruit. She sent the blonde an appreciative, shy smile before tilting her head down, breaking their eye contact.

Rachel wasn't sure what to feel when Quinn didn't leave her side or when she felt the intense gaze she was receiving from the Cheerio captain.

The diva didn't try to fight the grin that spread on her face when a plate full of vegan pancakes was laid in front of her.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. And I mean don't."

Rachel noticed the unusual absence of malice on the Latina's tone and her grin turned in to a full blown smile. The thought that Santana went out of her way to cook her a vegan breakfast _willingly_ made her heart melt in appreciation. And yes, coming from the Latina, it was already too much in Rachel's book. She felt giddy all of a sudden, reprimanding herself for feeling that way with such a small gesture.

But this was Santana Lopez! Come on.

However, Rachel tried to rein in her excitement as she started to dig in. Half way on her first pancake, she noticed that the girls were actually watching her eat.

"Wha?" Rachel asked, the fork still stuck in her mouth before releasing it with a pop. She looked at the trio with wide, confused eyes, "What?" she asked again when the girls didn't answer, still chewing on her pancake.

She frowned when all she got were amused smiles and chuckles. She took notice of the girls' breakfast, which was composed of toast and some drink that she recognized as the well known protein shake that the Cheerios were known to consume as per order of Coach Sylvester. She winced when she compared to her plate which still consisted of two more pancakes.

"Is that all you're having for breakfast?" Rachel felt kind of guilty for having too much on her plate, literally. She frowned when the three nodded.

"Yeah," Quinn answered simply, "We're not even supposed to have toast because it's kind of heavy on the stomach but...whatever," she shrugged.

Rachel scoffed, "Well, that's just ridiculous. You three are growing and very active girls with all the cheering you're doing and you need more energy than the average teenager, therefore, you should eat more than just that ridiculous drink and toast. I don't even know how you are able to survive the day. And it's not like Miss Sylvester goes easy on you. Seriously. That woman is deranged and has some serious problems with her mental health," she finished her rant earning a small laugh from the trio.

"Yeah, well, we're still here, right?" Santana said with a smirk, "We're tough chicks. We can handle whatever shit Coach will throw at us. We're like, the best thing that happened in her whole cheering career," she then turned to the two blondes, "Yeah?"

Brittany nodded absentmindedly while Quinn rolled her eyes.

"It keeps us healthy and fit so what's there to complain about?" Quinn said with her own smirk, walking towards the other side of the island to fetch her own protein shake.

"Yeah. It gives us a body to die for. Wouldn't you agree, Rachel?" Santana added with a wink on the diva's direction

Rachel felt her cheeks heat up at the obvious but out of nowhere flirting from the Latina. She shook her head to dismiss it but then images from her dream that morning flooded her mind; her hands running across Quinn's flat stomach. Yep. Very fit alright.

Oh God. That dream won't be leaving her alone anytime soon.

"Well, there's really no room for argument regarding that certain fact, Santana. There's a reason why almost everybody in school are all over you. But still, I worry about your health. I really don't think protein shake is enough to satiate your daily needs of nutrition."

"Are you saying that you find us attractive, Berry?" Quinn teased, a grin forming on her lips.

"I have eyes, Quinn. I do know how to appreciate beauty when I see one," Rachel answered with a shrug, "And you three are a sight to behold."

They had always received a lot of compliments. They had lived with it since high school. They were so used to it that they just shrugged off every praise thrown at them. It was something that was expected. But there was something in the way that Rachel had said those words that had caused them to step back, paused for a second and enjoyed the feeling of warmth and fuzziness it brought.

Rachel's opinion had always mattered to them. They never really stopped caring; they just developed the ability to ignore it.

Brittany was the first to recover.

"So...did you sleep well last night?"

Rachel looked up at the tall blonde who was lazily playing with her toast, breaking it into tiny bits and pieces. She frowned as she observed the girl. Brittany had her lips formed into a pout, her shoulders down and her eyes looked sad. The diva also noticed that she was unusually quiet and didn't really participate much to the conversation going around them.

Brittany was usually perky and known as a big ball of energy even at the early hours of the day. It was a strange sight for Rachel that she couldn't help but be concerned, especially when the tall dancer had been giving her these curious glances since she came in.

Rachel almost slapped her forehead when she remembered the conversation she had with the slightly distraught blonde last night and how Rachel just shut her off. She felt bad about it but who could blame her? It was a rough night.

But that didn't stop Rachel to try and make Brittany feel better. She looked down at her pancake and began slicing it as best as she could with just one hand. No matter what Brittany's role in her life for the past two years, she couldn't stop herself from feeling sorry for upsetting the blonde Cheerio.

And it's not just because it was Brittany, or even Santana or Quinn. That's just how she was. She despised hurting anyone or making them feel bad about themselves, intentionally or not. That’s just not her. She would probably do the same thing to anyone.

"Rachel?"

Rachel paused with what she was doing and scrunched her face in confusion when she noticed the expectant look from the girls, "Huh?"

Brittany smiled, "I asked if you slept well last night?"

"Oh yeah. Definitely," Rachel answered distractedly as she returned her attention to slicing her pancake, "I had a hard time at first but Quinn came so..." She blurted out before she realized what she was saying. She shrugged and feigned nonchalance. If anybody noticed, none of them pointed it out, "Uhh...Yeah. It was good," she finished lamely, not looking up from her pancake; her tongue sticking out on the corner of her lips in mock concentration.

"That's good to know," Quinn said, biting her lip to suppress a wide smile. She felt a nudge from both of her sides and looked at her girlfriends. Santana was wiggling her eyebrows and mouthed 'Score!' while Brittany winked at her. Quinn shook her head at her girlfriends' silliness. It was still weird for her that her usually possessive and jealous girlfriends found her interaction with the diva amusing. Their conversation regarding her incident with Rachel that morning—while they were sharing a bath to ‘save time’—was rather interesting.

_"No way! You're such a prude! I want to get my cuddle on too. Maybe I'll get luckier than you, Fabray," Santana teased with a smug grin._

_Quinn rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah. Because if it was you, you'll probably molest her in her sleep."_

_"Who said anything about molesting her? What I meant was I'd let **her** molest **me**. I mean  it was her hand that was being sneaky, right?"_

_"Ugh. You are such a perv, Lopez."_

_"Oh, you know you love it, babe."_

_"Shut up," Quinn laughed as she playfully sprayed water towards the Latina._

_"Hey!"_

_"Was Rachel having a sex dream then?" Brittany wondered, mostly to herself but it got the other two girls' attention, "I wonder who she was dreaming about."_

_The trio frowned at the thought and looked at each other._

_"Huh. Wouldn't you like to know."_

It was probably absurd to be jealous of someone from a dream that wasn't even yours but...meh. Whatever. That was just them being all silly and ridiculous.

Quinn couldn't help but feel kind of privileged though for being able to have the experience of sleeping beside the diva. She wasn't really expecting it considering—well, everything on the past two years. And though she didn't want to sound like a complete sex crazed pervert, she actually didn't mind being groped by those tiny, unmanly hands. If ever, all she felt at that time was the heat that pulsated through her body and made its way _down there_. And she relished it no matter how torturous it was.

And she couldn't help but be proud about it—not the groping part—but actually having Rachel in her arms that made her girlfriends jealous of her. And she had to remind herself that getting Rachel's affection wasn't a competition against her girlfriends because that just plain ridiculous. They were all in this together, and if one got the girl, so as the other two. That's how the Unholy Trinity worked. They worked as a team.

And with that in mind, the Head Cheerio knew that it wouldn't be long before her other two counterparts made their own move, especially after what happened last night.

But then again, Quinn had always found a certain fondness of the petite brunette. She would cuddle with her every chance she could get; automatically sitting beside her whenever and pretty much followed her everywhere. As a Fabray, she would have been appalled by the idea—but the memory of her closeness with Rachel only made her sigh and caused a pang on her chest. What she wouldn’t do to have those days back.

While Quinn was relishing the warmth brought by Rachel's statement, Santana was silently studying the other brunette with a thoughtful look. She had been observing her since the girl sat with them. All the teasing and light conversation aside, she still couldn't wrap her head on how impassive Rachel was being after everything last night—like she just wasn't almost killed and now nursing a swollen eye with a pack of frozen peas, not to mention a couple of other injuries on her torso too.

The old bruises they had noticed bothered the Latina the most. As much as she wanted to ask Rachel about it—and her blonde girls sensed it as well—she managed to kept her mouth shut and rolled her eyes since her girlfriends were giving her one of those ‘shut it’ looks, as to not increase the already thickening tension between the four of them, although they had shared worried glances while Rachel drifted off to sleep

They had a shushed, albeit short conversation about it while they watch her sleep. They still had no idea where Rachel got her old bruises from, but one thing was certain—whoever did it was not from McKinley since Puck hadn't gone all Hulk on anyone in school considering how protective he was of the small girl.

But that didn't stop the Latina from being skeptic regarding Rachel's state. From the moment Puck straight out lied to them about the reason why Rachel was sporting serious bruises on her face, she just knew something was up.

And now, seeing it up close, her curiosity and anxiety regarding the issue had only increased.

"What are you doing up so early, by the way? After last night, I was thinking you'd be like, sleeping like a log," Santana said casually, "I gotta say, I'm impressed, Hobbs. Your body seemed to be adjusting pretty well considering how badly you were hurt last night. I mean, if I’d known better I’d say you’re used to it,” Santana shrugged, purposely ignoring the sharp looks that her girlfriends were throwing at her.

What? She’s Santana Lopez. Subtlety and smooth approach was never her thing. She always went for the kill. She knew she still had a lot of groveling she needed to do but...meh. She was never famous for being patient. But hey, at least she didn’t ask her outright like she originally planned. So that’s a plus, right?

The Latina noticed Rachel flinched and she almost felt guilty about it. Almost.

“I...uh...” Rachel cleared her throat; her discomfort visible to the three pairs of eyes that she knew was glued to her.

Santana fought the urge to roll her eyes when the two blondes stopped glaring at her and turned their full attention to the singer with expectant eyes. She was aware that they were just as curious as she was. She was doing them a favor so, yes, they could stop looking at her like that.

 “You know how my dad is teaching me all these self-defense stuff and we’re still kind of doing it until now and sometimes things could get pretty...rough...so I’m sort of used to the…uhh…stress it entails. So…yeah. I guess you could say I’m kind of, well, used to it,” Rachel mumbled, wincing at how that statement sounded so...untrue and uncertain. Santana’s statement caught her off guard though. And the silence that followed hear lame excuse was really unnerving so she kept her eyes on the task at hand which was crafting her pancake. When did shaping a pancake become such a hard task?

Santana scrunched her face while absorbing what the brunette had said. It should make sense but then again, she also knew that Rachel’s dad would never go as far as hurting her like that, no matter how ‘rough’ it was. It didn’t add up at all. And she could say that Quinn and Brittany would agree with her if the frown on their faces was anything to go by.

The Latina was just about to voice out just that when the doorbell rang.

“Oh. That would be my ride,” Rachel said, finally looking up from her pancakes and saw the questioning looks from the trio, “I called my dads this morning. It kind of slipped my mind to tell them where I was last night,” she explained and offered the girls a smile, “I hope you don’t mind.”

“That’s cool,” Santana replied, already making her way out the kitchen to open the door.

Rachel nodded, went back to her pancake to do the final touches, grabbed the chocolate syrup and put what was supposed to be the eye and drew some sort of a wing on it. Staring at her handiwork, she happily slid her plate towards Brittany. She placed her hands on her lap as she giddily waited for a reaction from the blonde, slightly bouncing on her chair and offering a toothy grin—the best she could with a busted lip.

Brittany was taken aback with the gesture, staring blankly at the plate that the diva offered her. She glanced at Quinn who was just as surprised and confused as she was. She then turned to the waiting diva, and was just about to say something but the Rachel beat her to it.

“I’m sorry for last night.”

The tall Cheerio let her jaw dropped on the floor, her eyes widening. Wow. Surprised would be an understatement, “Wh-what for?”

“You know...” Rachel started, rubbing the back of her neck, “I kind of...I don’t know...Didn’t really respond too well with our conversation last night and I noticed you’ve been feeling a little down this morning—I mean, I’m not sure if it’s really about that but you’ve been kind of giving me these looks and, well, I don’t know. Whatever, really. I’m still sorry about it anyway,” she finished with a sheepish smile, “So, I made you that,” Rachel pointed at the plate which had a pancake shaped like a duck, “I mean, I’m not sure if that still works but it used to make you feel better when we were kids so...yeah.”

Oh God. Awkward.

Rachel had never been thankful for the pack of frozen pea that was currently plastered on her face. It hid her face pretty well as she anxiously waited for...anything really. But Brittany was just looking at her with this expression she couldn’t really comprehend while Quinn was making this eyebrow raising thing.

Brittany was speechless. Really, she was. Just...what the hell was that? She could almost feel her lips trembling that she had to bit it to control her emotions. Her eyes weren’t being cooperative though as her vision blurred, her eyes burning as tears began to make their appearance. She could feel her chest tightening because, really, that’s just too much for such a small gesture. As much as she was touched with the diva’s sweetness, it also made the guilt intensified and the missing feeling she had for the tiny brunette grew.

_Oh my God, Rachel! You’re killing me here! What the hell?!_

“Are you being serious right now?”

Okay. That wasn’t what Rachel was hoping for but...it was better than nothing, “Uhh...”

“No way are you apologizing for that, Rach. I should be the one saying sorry for putting you in that situation. It was unfair and insensitive of me and just...” Brittany sighed and stared at the diva, “I’m really sorry, like, for the nth time. I was a little messed up last night and I wasn’t thinking—but that didn’t mean I never meant those words I said to you. I do. I really, really do, Rachel. And—”

Rachel held up a hand to stop the blonde from rambling. Really, this girl could channel anyone, even her. She was impressed.

“It’s fine Britt. I get it,” Rachel said with a warm smile, “Now eat up. I worked hard for that one. I’m sure Santana wouldn’t mind if I share.”

Brittany beamed, gently sliding the plate closer to her as if it was the most precious thing in the world, staring at it with sparkling eyes. She quickly took out her phone and snapped a picture of it, replacing the wallpaper of her and her girlfriends with the picture of the pancake without hesitation. She then looked up at the smiling brunette, locking gaze with her and silently murmured a ‘thank you’.

“No problem, Little Duck,” Rachel said with a shrugged without noticing how the old nickname came out of her mouth so easily.

However, Brittany’s smile grew even wider, the nickname causing her heart to do somersaults and backflips and cartwheels that would made Sue Sylvester proud. It was a nickname that Rachel originally gave her but Quinn and Santana had somehow caught up on it as well. She giddily devoured her pancake, sharing a smile with Quinn who was fighting the urge to cry.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Santana stared at the two people standing on her front porch, one hand on her hips, her lips pursed as she regarded them. Alex, she knew for sure. But the other guy that was standing beside the barista, she had never met before. The last time she checked—which was probably a while ago—any of Rachel’s dads didn’t look this young.

“Can I help you?” Santana asked, directing her question to the stranger, not bothering to take notice of Alex. She narrowed her eyes when Alex rolled her eyes.

“Yes. As a matter of fact, I am looking for Rachel Berry. I was instructed to pick her up on this address.”

“I’m sorry. Who are you again?”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry. Where are my manners? I’m Jesse. Jesse St. James. I’m a friend of Rachel’s,” Jesse said with his usual charming smile and offered his hand.

Santana stared at the hand and hesitantly shook it, “Santana Lopez,” she introduced herself.

“Pleasure to meet you. And this is Ale—”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve met her,” Santana waved off, opening the door wider to let them in. She’s a little wary of the aura this Jesse was emitting, and she really didn’t appreciate Alex’s presence in her home, but she let them in anyway. She may be a bitch but she still had manners—well, sometimes.

Jesse was a confident person but the way this girl was looking at him was making him uneasy. He didn’t show it though so he politely smiled as he stepped in the Lopez’s residence, following Santana farther in the house. Or mansion from his perspective.

Santana lead Jesse and Alex to the kitchen where the girls were currently in. She felt the change in the atmosphere the moment she stepped in. She exchanged a look with Quinn who just shrugged and smiled, subtlety moving her eyes on Brittany who was still happily munching on the pancake. Quinn arched her brow at the Latina when she noticed the presence of Alex and some guy she had yet to meet, but Santana just waved it off.

“Holy crap! You look like shit, Rachel!”

The trio was startled with the sudden outburst, Quinn and Santana sending glares towards the stranger while Brittany was just confused.

“Why, thank you, Jesse. Good morning to you too,” Rachel deadpanned, dropping the frozen pea to cross her arms to which Jesse responded with a chuckle. She then turned to the girl beside him and smiled, “Hello, Alex. What brought you here?”

“Picking you up.”

“Oh. Well, I guess you’ve met Jesse then.”

“Sure did. He’s a very charming gentleman.”

Rachel scoffed, “Isn’t he?”

“Hey!”

“Who’s he?” Quinn asked, looking at the man in front.

“Oh yes. I’m sorry. This is Jesse. He’s a friend of the family. Jesse, this is Quinn, Santana and Brittany. They are...uhh…classmates. We go to the same school.”

The introduction caused Santana to frown, Quinn to purse her lips in disappointment and Brittany to pout.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jesse politely responded and turned to the diva, “Rachel, you weren’t kidding when you said the cheerleaders in your school are hot.”

Rachel gave Jesse a quick look as if to say ‘shut your mouth’. Jesse raised his hands in mock surrender as if to say ‘fine’.

“So what happened to you? We’re you in last night? I wasn’t aware Brian called for an Emergency Knockdown las—”

“Jesse!” Rachel chastised before Jesse could say anymore than he already had, and pointedly glared at him with her good eye. She hoped that none of the girls had cau—

“What’s an Emergency Knockdown?”

Crap. Rachel was surprised that it was Brittany who caught on that since it was Santana who had been a little snoopy this morning.

Jesse looked like a deer caught in headlights, shifting his gaze everywhere as if looking for an exit, “Uh...I think I’m just going to wait in the car.”

Rachel snapped her head towards Jesse’s direction and mouthed ‘You!’ which Jesse replied with a shrug, mouthing a ‘Sorry’ before making his exit, leaving a fuming diva, a  bewildered Unholy Trinity and an amused barista.

“So...what is an…Emergency Knockdown?” Quinn asked cautiously.

“It’s nothing,” Rachel replied quickly, “Nothing you should be concerned about anyway. Really, it’s just...nothing,” the diva winced at how lame it sounded. She seemed to be doing a lot of that this morning.

Before any of the Cheerios could say something, Alex meddled in. She knew about Emergency Knockdown and the fight club and how it wasn’t supposed to be talked about. Rachel had told her about it a year ago when a friend of a friend had recognized the singer as a regular in fight clubs.

“So, I guess we won’t be having that breakfast then.”

Rachel opened her mouth in surprise, “Oh my God! I’m so sorry, Al. It completely slipped my mind. I had a pretty rough time last night and I’m still kind of not myself—but we can still have it. I mean, I’m good. I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t know, Rach. You look...”

“Like shit?”

Alex chuckled, “I would say tired but yeah, I guess yours would be more suitable.”

“So, what? Just because I look like crap you wouldn’t want to sit and have breakfast with me in public?” Rachel replied with feign annoyance.

“Oh, so that’s how you want to play it, huh?” Alex responded as she stepped towards the sitting brunette, her lips forming a sexy smirk, “Well, you don’t seem to be in a condition to go out sooo…Why don’t you just rest your pretty little ass in your room while I make you breakfast in bed?” Alex suggested, her voice going lower as she leaned in to give Rachel a chaste kiss on the cheek, “How does that sound?”

Rachel could only manage a nod. Although she was accustomed to Alex’s blatant flirting, the presence of the three Cheerios as well as the burning glare that was being directed in their direction made her feel really uncomfortable and kind of scared.

“Great! Let’s get going then. I’m sure Jesse boy is getting pretty impatient.”

“Right. Okay. Sure,” Rachel mumbled as she quickly stood from her seat. With much reluctance, she turned to the three girls, managing a tight lipped smile. She frowned when they didn’t even look at her. Instead, they continued to stare daggers at Alex while the barista was simply wearing a shit-eating grin as if taunting the girls. She groaned inwardly. She should have known.

“Umm...we’ll just show ourselves out,” Rachel said in an attempt to placate the growing tension, “Thank you for the breakfast, Santana. I enjoyed it. Quinn, Brittany. I’ll see you later in school.”

Rachel didn’t waste time to grab the barista’s arm who was still smirking and almost dragged her away from the kitchen. Rachel was already opening the front door when she heard Santana calling her. She stopped on her tracks and looked back.

“Rachel! Wait. Umm...” Santana began, burrowing her eyebrows as if she was having an internal struggle.

Rachel noticed this and the way the Latina’s eyes would shift to Alex and then to her, “Alex, can you wait for me outside?”

“Are you sure?” Alex asked, her eyes locked on the Cheerio in front.

Rachel sighed, “Yes. Thank you,”

Alex nodded and walked out but not before giving Santana a warning glance.

Santana rolled her eyes at this before focusing on the tiny diva, “Listen, I’m just gonna go and blurt this all out since I’m not really good at this whole confrontation drama thing and I don’t usually do this kind of crap and I’m sure you probably had enough last night considering Quinn and Brittany had—”

Rachel giggled, “You’re actually doing pretty well, Santana. Now, why don’t you just blurt it all out and say it?”

Santana scowled and rolled her eyes. She took a deep breath, her face softening as she looked Rachel directly in the eye, “I’m sorry, Rachel. And you know for what. I don’t have to go through the details. I’m sure Quinn and Brittany covered pretty much everything.”

“Santana...”

“Rachel, please let me. Because I don’t think I can do this again. Seriously. It may not look like it but this emotional crap is really killing me. I don’t know how people do this shit.”

Rachel smiled and rolled her eyes.

“But let me tell you this, I may be the bitchiest bitch you’ll ever meet—and I’m not saying I will change that because this is, like, one of the best assets I have and I enjoy watching people squirm right in front of me—but I want you to know that this bitch is willing to do everything to make it up to you, Little Star. I promise. And this time, there’s no breaking it.”

Rachel stood rooted in her spot—speechless yet again—as she watched the Latina walked inside the house. Knowing Santana—that was probably the most sincere and serious speech she could ever get from the girl. It was bewildering and mind-boggling and just...unbelievable.

Rachel walked out of the Lopez’s residence in a daze. Did that just happen? She couldn’t believe it. The Unholy Trinity just turned her world upside down within the span of twenty four hours.

Oh boy. She had better fastened her seatbelt. She could feel she’s in for a bumpy, winding, life-altering ride. And she wasn’t sure if she should look forward to it.


	12. Chapter 11

"Rachel Barbara Berry!" a loud voice boomed at the Berry household.

Rachel winced as she stepped in their home, followed by a grinning Jesse and a worried Alex.

"That doesn't sound good," Rachel mumbled.

"No, it doesn't, young lady. Get in here," a stern voice said from the kitchen.

Rachel took a sharp breath. This was way too early even for her, but she followed the voice and went to the kitchen where she found her dads.

"Dad, Daddy, I can explain."

"Goodness! What happened to you?" Hiram exclaimed, clutching at his chest.

Rachel tried not to roll her eyes at the dramatic-ness of her Daddy, "I'm fine, Daddy."

"I'm sure you are aware of what 'fine' is, sweetheart," Leroy stated calmly, but his eyes were stern.

Rachel scrunched her face. Did her Dad just used air quote?

"Well, I've been through worse. And this is my body. I am aware of my limits, Dad, Daddy. Trust me.

Please, can we not talk about this right now? Besides, in case you were wondering, this face wasn't from fight club."

"Oh?"

Rachel nodded and proceeded to tell the story of what happened last night, just like what she did with Jesse and Alex on their way home. She wasn't surprised at how dramatic her Daddy was being while Leroy held a solemn look on his face.

"That's something serious, Rachel. You should go to the police station to make sure those hoodlums get locked up," Leroy said, looking straight at her daughter.

"It's fine, Dad. I don't really need the added stress. Those men are obviously on drugs, very drunk and have possession of a deadly weapon. I'm sure those are enough reasons for the police to keep them behind bars," Rachel explained tiredly. She really needed her bed right now.

"And how are you holding up? And Quinn?" Hiram asked.

"I'm good. Nothing like that can scare me, Daddy. You know that," Rachel answered, her voice gentle as she placed a hand on Hiram's in attempt to ease his worries. She noticed he's been doing that a lot lately, "And Quinn is fine. She wasn't hurt and from what I saw this morning, she didn't seem to be too affected with what happened."

"That’s good to know,” Leroy said, nodding his head in approval.

“So...you spent the night with the girls..." Hiram started.

Rachel tightened her lips. She knew where this was going. Her dads had always been adamant with knowing what happened with the four of them. They would jump with every opportunity to open the subject of their sudden 'fall out'. Apparently, it was hard for them to believe that their quartet would fall apart just like that. If only they knew how hard it was for _her_ to accept that—yes, they _did_ fall apart just like _that_.

The starlet wondered if how long she could continue to evade this certain subject.

"I was at Santana's, yes."

"Are you girls..." Hiram hesitated a little before continuing, "okay now?"

Rachel nodded slowly, pondering on how to interpret her Daddy's question, "We're...civil, I guess. I mean, we talked. A little. And they helped me with my injuries..."

"And...?"

"And that's it," Rachel shrugged. What else was there to say?

_Oh and I had this sexual fantasy about them ganging up on me._

Rachel winced at the thought. She could feel her cheeks getting hotter and she was just thankful that her bruises covered most of her face.

"Oh. So you haven’t made up?" Leroy asked, his voice held disappointment and sadness that Rachel didn't want right now.

"Dad...things aren't that easy anymore. We're grownups now. Spending one night at Santana's won't make things go back to the way they used to. We have...more complicated issues than just some petty quarrels or fighting over on who can jump higher or who has the best toys."

"You fight over that?" Jesse piped up.

"We were in kindergarten," Rachel said dryly.

"Right—Wait. You're friends with those cheerleaders?" Jesse asked, his eyes big with excitement.

"Were."

"Oh."

Rachel rolled her eyes when Jesse visibly deflated and slumped on his seat.

"That's okay, buddy. I'm sure you can still charm them with your dazzling smile and suave looks," Alex said, patting Jesse on the shoulder, a grin threatening to appear on her lips.

Jesse was nodding his head as if to say 'Yes, yes. You're right.'

Rachel rolled her eyes at this, especially when Alex sent her a wink. She couldn't help but smile a little despite the whirlwind of emotions that she was going through at the moment. She watched in amusement as Alex and Jesse interact with each other as if they hadn’t just met this morning. She looked at these two people who had somehow popped out of nowhere and freakishly entered her life without her realizing it. And there's Puck who stood with her through thick and thin. These were her friends. Her _real_ friends—friends who she knew would accept her and never leave her side no matter what. They were unlike...some people she knew.

Rachel shook her head, ending her thoughts before she opened another box of memories that she had tried so hard to keep close, chained and locked away—never to be opened again. And she had succeeded until last night.

"Look, sweetheart," Leroy started, interrupting Rachel's thoughts, "This thing with the girls had clearly made you upset—"

_Upset? Oh no, Dad. It killed me._

"—And we know you don't want to talk about it but I just hope you could, maybe, try to at least tell us what happened. You've changed a lot since you stopped being friends with them and—"

"Lee, I don't think now is the right time for that," Hiram interrupted his husband and sent him a look. They took notice on how their daughter had stiffened at the current subject.

Leroy sighed, "You're right. I'm sorry, Rachel."

"It's okay," Rachel said quietly, her head down as she played with the hem of her shirt. She had always known something had changed within her the moment her ties with the girls had been broken. She had been more cautious with meeting new people and a little aloof at making new friends. She had learned to shut down whenever someone attempted to enter her life. She had kept a decent distance from anyone and only trusted those she knew that truly cared.

And she had always thought she was doing a pretty good job at acting _normal_ , but it seemed like she had underestimated her dads.

"Well then, let me treat those bruises so you can take a proper rest," Hiram stated as he stood up to get his medical supplies, "Why don't you go up to your room. I'll be there in a sec."

Rachel only managed a nod before making her way towards her room. She paused and looked back over her shoulders, "You coming, Al?"

Alex smiled and nodded, "Sure short stuff."

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Their morning started out fine. It was amazing even. They shared a bath, _played_ a little, had sweet lady kisses and shared a quiet, peaceful breakfast with Rachel. She even had a short moment with the starlet that almost made her cry. Then how did it come to the part where Santana and Quinn were now marching down the hallways towards the Cheerios locker with scowl on their faces? Brittany wondered that as she calmly followed her girlfriends.

Oh right. Alex happened. _Again_. That girl definitely knew how to push their buttons.

And as much as Brittany wanted to slam doors and kick lockers (because she’s pissed too, you know, her morning was just ruined), she had to keep her composure and stay cool. The three of them pissed off all at the same time was never a good sight and quite frankly, not good for the student body. It was a good thing nobody was there yet. She just hoped that the pent up anger and jealousy her girlfriends were feeling right now would fade off after practice.

She feared for the rest of the Cheerios though. This was going to be one heck of a practice.

And Brittany was right. Heck was an understatement. She watched as Quinn barked out orders, pointed out faults at the routine, ordered fifty pushups and fifty suicides just because she could while Santana yelled insult at every girl with every opportunity she had—which was a lot—demanded to repeat the routine over and over again even if it was already perfect in Brittany’s eyes and then proceeded to spit out insults to the squad again.

Don’t get her started with Coach Sylvester.

All in all, practice was hell. Brittany could swear her girlfriends were imagining Alex’s face on every girl in the squad. And while the rest of the squad were bawling their eyes out while crawling back towards the locker room, Brittany noticed that Santana and Quinn were just as pissed as they were this morning. Apparently, torturing their Cheerios wasn’t enough.

Oh boy. Good luck McKinley.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Hiram had called Rachel’s school to inform them that the singer would not be going to school for three days because she was ‘sick’ in which Rachel had argued about.

“Three days? Daddy! I would miss a lot in school!”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine, Rachel. You’re a smart girl.”

“B-But...What about Glee? And...And...”

“Rachel, honey, please don’t force yourself. You’re in pain and the meds can only help you so much. Look at you. You don’t look so good right now. You’ve lost a lot of weight through the years. And—”

“I’m perfectly healthy, Daddy!”

“Rachel!” Hiram called out, his voice rising, “We both know you’re abusing your body. You have been for years. Your Dad and I are worried about you. We have no idea why you are pushing yourself beyond your limits. I think it’s about time that you stop going to fight clubs. It’s killing you.”

“It’s keeping me alive, Daddy!” Rachel argued, “I won’t stop going there. Please. Don’t take it away from me. I _need_ it.”

Hiram sighed, “I don’t understand Rachel...”

“And I’m sorry you don’t and I can’t tell you right now but please, trust me on this. _Please_ don’t ban me from going to fight club,” Rachel practically begged her father. She knew Leroy could pull some strings and ban her from any fight club within Lima or any nearby areas. She couldn’t let that happen. Being in fight club was the only thing that’s keeping her from totally breaking down and losing herself.

Hiram stared at her daughter hard. He almost couldn’t recognize her—and it’s not because of the bruises on her face. Rachel had always elicited warmth in her, her brown eyes were bright and innocent and she glowed, shining brightly with her passion in music and singing. From anyone who wasn’t really looking, they would think she was still the same person. But Hiram was her father, so as Leroy. They could see through her.

And this girl, the girl that was currently in front of him wasn’t that same girl anymore. This girl looked troubled. Her eyes didn’t shine the way it used to. It was dull, almost dead. He and Leroy would sometimes blame themselves for not being good enough—for being neglectful of their own daughter. Things had been rough when Leroy was in the hospital. They were in the brink of bankruptcy and they had no choice but to let Rachel ‘help’. And once Leroy got out of the hospital, the heaviness of that decision affected them all.

Leroy had almost gone into depression, blaming himself for what happened in their family, especially when Rachel would go home hurt and bleeding. It was all too much for Leroy. Thank God Rachel and Hiram were strong enough to put some sense into his husband’s head. Once Leroy completely recovered, he did his best to prevent Rachel from ever going back to fight club.

They were surprised, however, when Rachel almost begged them not to forbid her from fighting. It was confusing for them—they knew how much she hated violence—and had caused even more arguments in the family. They had always thought that the changes in their daughter was caused by fight club, but once they had succeeded in stopping Rachel from going back there, the girl had gone from bad to worse. She wouldn’t come out of her room except when going to school. She had completely stopped talking to them until they had permitted her to be involved in fighting again. This time, they had agreed upon to be under the guidance of Leroy.

Hiram and Leroy still couldn’t understand what was going on with their girl. They had already tried everything they could think of to get her to open up, but she was being stubborn about it. One thing they were certain though, it wasn’t fight club that had changed Rachel Berry. It was something else, and they had a pretty good idea what it was.

“Daddy...” Rachel called gently as if reading the old man’s mind. She could see different emotions swirling in his eyes and her heart broke for being the cause of his struggles, “Please believe me when I say that this isn’t your fault. Stop blaming yourself. It’s me. I wish I could tell you and Dad but...I’m just not ready.”

 _And maybe I never will be_.

Being gay was easy, but to be in love with her three former best friends and not to be loved back? And not only that, but to have their backs turned on you for being _you_? That’s something she just couldn’t speak of right now. Not with her fathers.

Hiram took another deep breath, “Alright, baby girl. Whenever you’re ready,” he finally relented and the smile that it had brought to his daughter’s face was definitely worth it despite the inner battle that he was going through, “But you are still to stay home for three days. No going out. I mean it.”

“But what about Friday?” Rachel asked warily. She didn’t have to elaborate that. They both knew what she was talking about.

“Your Dad will handle that.”

Rachel sighed in relief. After last night, she was definitely not looking forward to it. Despite her stubbornness, she knew her body couldn’t handle anymore kicks. But she wouldn’t admit that to her fathers. That’s just a no-no.

“Thank you. I love you, Daddy,” Rachel said with a smile, placing a kiss on his cheek.

“I love you too, sweetheart. Now go get some rest.”

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

McKinley that day was in utter chaos. The cheerleaders were having a field day throwing slushies at random losers while the jocks were having fun throwing people in dumpsters. Apparently, the Unholy Trinity had given a go signal to terrorize the school again. It was supposed to be _just_ Quinn and Santana and they would have been contented in watching students squirm on their feet. And maybe make fun of a person or two.

But that was until they noticed the absence of a certain brunette diva. Worried, they decided to give Rachel a call to check up on her. Brittany was excited to do just that, but her smile faded when her call was answered by none other than Alex.

" _Rachel's phone._ "

Brittany quirked an eyebrow at the voice she recognized as not Rachel, "I didn't know Rachel's phone could talk," she replied a little harshly.

"I _could be her voicemail for all you know._ "

The tall Cheerio rolled her eyes, "Why do you have Rachel's phone?"

" _Because I can._ "

"I want to talk to her."

" _You can't._ "

That irked her. _A lot_.

"And why the hell not?" Brittany snapped, her frustrations this morning and what with this conversation finally getting in to her. Quinn and Santana were now staring at her with matching eyebrow raise, 'Alex', she mouthed to her girlfriends.

Santana groaned. Quinn rolled her eyes.

'Speaker,' Quinn mouthed.

 _"She's asleep right now. Doctor H ordered complete bed rest._ "

Brittany sighed. She really didn't want this conversation with this girl but she's way too worried about Rachel's condition, "Is she okay?"

" _Okay? You did see her this morning, right?"_

Fuck you!

"Yes, I did. And if only I have an idea how she is _right now_ , I wouldn't waste my time talking to you."

" _Oohh. Fiesty blonde you are, Ms. Pierce. I had no idea._ "

"Shut up. Just tell Rachel the girls and I will stop by later this afternoon."

" _I'm no messenger._ "

Brittany huffed. This girl was really starting to get on her nerves. And _that's_ saying something.

" _Buuttt..._ " the voice on the other line drew out, " _if you say **please** , I **might** just remember to relay your message._"

Bitch please. You wish.

"Never mind then," Brittany replied dryly and end the call with a firm press on the red button. See, that's the problem with mobile phones, you can't get the satisfaction of slamming the phone down.

Seconds later, each of the girls' phones vibrated. They looked up to see that they received the same message from Rachel. Or rather, from Rachel's phone.

**Don't worry about Rachel. I'll make sure to give her the TLC she needed. I'll take VERY good care of her. ;) -A**

And that was enough to turn the girls batshit crazy.

Fucking bitch. She made Brittany lose her cool. Now there's no controlling the Unholy Trinity.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Alex sighed for the hundredth time as she watched Rachel pace in the room. She had settled herself on the center of the diva’s bed, leaning on the headboard with her arms crossed over her chest. Rachel had slept for most of the morning and woke up with a start. Alex was more of confused than surprised when she found the starlet with her eyes open wide and staring blankly at the ceiling. When she approached her, the girl sat up, jumped off the bed and bolted towards the bathroom. Once she came out, she had blurted about the girls apologizing and stuff that she couldn’t really understand.

And then Rachel started pacing the room, mumbling to herself as if she was having a monologue.

“Will you quit your pacing? You’re giving me a headache.”

“I’m freaking out. Why am I freaking out? I shouldn’t be freaking out, Alex. This…this is what I’ve always wanted to hear from them. And yet...Oh God. I am so freaking out,” Rachel groaned, rubbing her face with her hands as she took a seat on the edge of the bed.

“You’re right. Why are you freaking out about this, Rach? So they said they’re sorry. Shouldn’t you be, I don’t know, happy? They finally hit their head and gained some senses with how stupid they are for what they did to you.”

“I don’t know, Al. It’s just...It feels so...surreal. I mean, why now? Why _just_ now? What changed? It’s been almost two years!” Rachel exclaimed, tears threatening to fall from her eyes, “Two years of tormenting me and treating me like I don’t matter,” she said, her voice getting lower and trembling from the emotion overflowing within her.

After she had gotten enough rest, she woke up sore and totally confused with a mild migraine which only worsened when she remembered yesterday. A sudden rush of emotions hit her that she had literally bolted up from her bed.

She had the chance to finally think things through. It still felt like a dream but the ache in her body proved that what happened yesterday was real. The girls had apologized. To her. Like, really, really. Now that she was able to process all of it, the things the girls said to her had _finally_ sunk in.

And wow, did it blow her mind away.

"You’re scared.”

It was such a simple statement and yet, it had hit it so close to home.

Rachel looked up at her friend with unshed tears in her eyes, “I’m so confused, Al. I’m scared of what they can do to me—how they can affect me. I’m scared of these feelings I have for them. I’m scared that…if I let them in and things get tough, they’d leave again. I-I don’t know if...if…I can handle that the second time. I barely made it the first time, Alex!” Rachel cried out, tears now streaming down her face, “I just...I...I don’t know what to do...”

Alex went over beside the distraught girl, rubbing circles on her back, “It’s okay to feel that way, Rach. They hurt you. Big time. They turned their backs on you. They betrayed you. And you feel that way because you don’t trust them and that’s perfectly fine, Rachel. It’s not unusual that you feel that way so please, please, stop freaking the hell out.”

That last statement made the diva chuckled, and that’s just exactly what Alex was aiming for.

“But seriously though, give yourself some value. You deserve this apology more than anyone. And in my opinion, it is way overdue,” Alex paused, “But there’s no need to rush things, Rach. You may be ready to forgive them, but you are obviously not ready to open up yourself to them. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Trust isn’t something you can just give and take. It takes time. And that’s just exactly what you need. Time. And _a lot_ of self-respect. And I mean, a lot. I know how much these girls can make you weak on the knees.”

Rachel chuckled, “Can you blame me?”

Alex scrunched her face, “Obviously, you saw something in them that I couldn’t.”

The diva rolled her eyes then rubbed her face hard with her hands, “God. I’m such a mess.”

“No, you’re not. You’re just _feeling_ , Rachel,” Alex paused for a moment and looked at her friend straight in the eye, “Something you haven’t really done in a while.”

Rachel was silent; her eyes getting that far away look before softly whispering, “I know,” she then turned away from Alex, anxiously biting on her lower lip before looking back at the barista, her eyes filled with fear and uncertainty, “W-what if...what if they didn’t mean it? What if this is just another prank? What if—”

“Then they can go fuck themselves and go to hell.”

“Alex!”

“What?” Alex shrugged, “Come on, Rachel. Give yourself a break. Those bitches deserve it.”

“Those were just hypothetical what if’s though.”

“That has the possibility to really happen.”

“Y-you think so?”

Alex stared at the singer, studying the girl’s face–hating the desperation and fear she could see on it. She wasn’t used to seeing this side of Rachel and it was a heart breaking sight, “I don’t know, Rach. But do you really think they can be _that_ heartless?”

Rachel turned away, “I...no, I don’t believe so.”

Alex held Rachel’s hand and gave it a squeeze, “Hey, don’t worry about it too much. I’m sure everything’s going to be fine. And if not...well, you have me. There’s Jesse and Puck and your dads. We’re all here for you.”

“Thanks, Alex.”

The barista smiled before turning serious again, “But you do understand what I’m trying to say, right?”

Rachel nodded and smiled, “Yes. And I wonder...when did you start making sense?”

“Bitch.”

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"What crawled up your asses?"

"Puck. What do you want?" Santana snarled, shoving books on her locker with Quinn and Brittany.

Puck watched as a group of jocks passed by with a struggling Jacob Ben Israel being lifted in the air. He smirked. Although he didn't agree with the current chaos the jocks and Cheerios were causing, Jewfro deserved it for always creeping on his Jewish princess.

"What's up with all this...commotion?" Puck asked, flailing his arms around.

"Shouldn't you be out doing what you do best?" Quinn asked as she turned to the mohawk jock, her arms crossed, purposely ignoring what he asked.

"Sleeping with anyone that wears a skirt is what he does best," Brittany snide, not looking up from her locker as she collected her books for her next class.

"Ouch. That is so not true. Rachel wears the shortest skirt around here but I never slept with her. And I don't plan to."

Somehow, that lessened the tension on the trio's body.

"She's gay, Puck. Of course she won't sleep with you," Santana said a matter-of-factly.

"Never stopped me before," Puck shrugged.

Santana rolled her eyes while Quinn scrunched her face in disgust. Brittany stared at him blankly.

"She's smokin' hot though. Like totally. If she wasn't my Jewbro, I'd totally tap that."

The girls had totally lost interest by now. Because, yeah. They were kind of already aware of that certain fact. Rachel Berry was freaking smoking. Hot damn.

"Seeing her naked was a bonus though," Puck added as an afterthought, his eyes in a daze as he remembered the day he walked on her in the bathroom, his signature smirk planted on his face. He jumped when the locker beside him was slammed shut—hard.

"Wait the fuck up. Did I hear you right? You," Santana pointed at the jock, "saw Rachel naked?" she sneered.

"Uhh..." Puck was at a loss. He didn't expect this reaction from any of the girls. Quinn was seething. Brittany was giving this scary look that creep him the hell out. And Santana? Well, she's being Santana. That was scary enough. What the hell gives?

"Yes? But that wa--Oww! Hey!" Puck raised his arms in attempt to shield his head from the attacking Cheerios, slamming their books on him.

"Fuck you, Puck!"

"Stay the hell away from Rachel!"

"You perverted asshole!"

With that, the Unholy Trinity power walked down the hallway, leaving an injured and bewildered Puck.

"The fuck?"

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

**Gud thing ur MIA 2dy, Rach. Unholy Trinity gone on rampge ds am. -Puck**

Rachel scrunched her face at the text-speak. She had called Puck before she had gone to sleep to inform him the cause of her absence. His message baffled her though.

**What happened? And what did I tell you about text language? -R***

**Dunno. Bt its crzy. Slshy nd dmpstr is bck. Nd sori. Im in cls. Gt wl sun babe. Mis u. -Puck**

Rachel frowned at the idea that the slushies were back, but a smile made its way on her lips as she read the last part of his message.

**Miss you too. See you soon. -R***

Rachel wondered what riled up the girls. They looked fine this morning. She shook her head in dismissal. Those girls sure had their moments. She winced at the thought of what could possibly be going on at McKinley today. Much of a loser she was, she had never been at the receiving end of the Unholy Trinity's crazies.

There was a knock on the door and Alex came in holding a tray.

"So, since we couldn't have that breakfast in bed, we can at least have lunch instead," Alex said as she approached the bed.

Rachel smiled and sat up, leaning her upper body against the headboard, "You didn't have to bring me food though. I'm sure I'm still able to walk just fine."

"I know. And I kinda have to do this because Doctor H was pretty headstrong when he told me that you are not to be let out of this room."

"Seriously?" Rachel asked in disbelief. What was she supposed to do in her room for three days? Plus two, counting the weekends since the third day of her 'rest' landed on a Friday.

"Yes. But it's not like I could stop you from moving around."

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

“I’m sorry. Are you lost?” Alex asked with feign confusion and innocence to the three girls that were standing on the Berry’s porch.

“No. Are you?” Santana snide, fixing Alex a glare.

“Do I look like I’m lost?” Alex said, a smirk on her face as she pointed at herself. She was currently wearing a white button down shirt, the top buttons were left open and a very comfortable black boyleg shorts.

“Oh I don’t know. I won’t be surprised if you actually go walking around the streets wearing that.”

“Nah. Rachel wouldn’t let me. She has this habit of being overly protective. _Really hot_.”

“Shouldn’t you be somewhere else serving coffee?” Quinn snapped, irritation showing on her face.

“I took the day off,” Alex shrugged and examined her nails with disinterest, “I realized Rachel needed someone to take care of her right now. And I was more than willing to leave my job for her. I mean, that’s what friends do, right? You know, be _there_ for each other.”

“Of course,” Quinn replied, her voice laced with indifference as she placed a hand on Santana’s shoulder to keep her calm while her other hand was holding Brittany’s.

“Can we see Rachel?” Brittany’s soft, calm voice broke the silent tension, “ _Please_.”

Alex quirked a brow, examining the three girls in a different perspective for the first time. Before she could say anything, she felt a tug on the door and it opened wider, revealing a confused, sleepy diva.

The girls gawked at the sight of the disheveled brunette, a serious case of bed hair, an amusing black patch on her left eye with a big gold star in the middle, and clad only in a gray wifebeater and, apparently, a matching black boyleg shorts as Alex. They weren't really sure what shocked them more—the appearance of the diva or the fact that both of them were almost half dressed...or half naked? Or was it both? Either way, they seemed to have frozen on their spot.

"H-hey guys," Rachel finally choked once she was able to recover from her own shock. She cleared her throat and managed a smile, though she felt like it was more of a grimace, "Please come in."

Rachel and Alex moved aside, giving way for the girls. The girls had somehow managed to snap out of their stupor and quietly, albeit a little stiffly, walked inside the house and sat on the living room. They indulged in the warmth that the Berry household gave off. It was all too familiar and yet, they felt out of place.

“We hope we’re not interrupting anything.”

Rachel looked at the Head Cheerio whose eyes were currently glued to Alex as she said those words so she wasn’t really sure who the blonde was talking to. And then she realized what Quinn had said and reflexively looked down at herself then to Alex and it dawn onto her what the blonde meant. She felt the heat rush up to her face and she began rambling.

“Oh...No. No. It’s not...uhh...you’re not interrupting anything. We were just sleeping together,” Rachel quickly backtracked when she noticed the looks on the girls’ faces and quickly added, “I mean literally sleeping! Like, sharing the same bed but just sleeping. And…uhhh…I...err...let me just put some decent clothes on," Rachel stuttered as she dashed towards her room.

Five minutes later, she returned wearing a set of sweats and carrying another set of pants. She threw the set of pants on Alex's direction who was currently sitting on the loveseat.

"Mmff! Hey!"

"Put those on."

"But Rach..." Alex whined. "I'm quite comfortable with my current clothes."

"Well, I'm not! And in case you haven't noticed, we have guests." Rachel huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You weren't complaining earlier when we were—"

"Just put the pants on, Al. Please," Rachel insisted, her eyes big as she looked at Alex, giving her a 'please-behave-before-you-make-things-really-awkward' look.

Alex rolled her eyes and sighed, "Fine," She stood up from her seat and went straight to the bathroom to change, leaving Rachel with the three cheerleaders in a living room laced with all sorts of weird atmosphere.

Rachel settled herself on the love seat. She cleared her throat and wiped her hands on her pants, another nervous habit of hers, "So..."

"Nice eye patch," Brittany blurted out, breaking the awkward silence.

"Oh...uhh...thanks," Rachel said as her hand unconsciously flew on the eye patch, "Dad gave it to me. He said it makes me look badass instead of looking like a battered teenage girl.”

“It’s cute,” Brittany giggled.

Rachel pouted, feeling the atmosphere getting lighter, “But I was going for a badass image.”

“It would have if not for the star,” Quinn stated, an amused smile playing on her lips.

“Yeah, well, you know how stars are kind of my thing.”

That was the moment Alex walked in, holding a tray of drinks for their ‘guests’ and thankfully, already clad in pants. She silently placed the tray on the table, walked towards the diva but instead of sitting down, she leaned down and whispered to her ear.

“I’ll just be in the other room. If you need anything, call me,” Alex said softly. As much as she wanted to stay with Rachel, she knew being in the room with the cheerleaders for a period of time would only result to disaster. She couldn’t seem to behave herself when they were around and she didn’t want things to be awkward for Rachel. The girl had gone through enough for today. The teasing could wait.

Rachel only nodded and offered a smile, thanking the barista silently.

The trio watched the interaction between the two brunettes. Quinn pursed her lips in annoyance, Santana glowered while Brittany crossed her arms and pouted as Alex’s lips almost touched the brunette’s ear as she whispered to her ear, shared a silent conversation with their eyes before Rachel nodded and smile. Alex returned that smile, and much to their displeasure, leaned down to press a gentle kiss at the diva’s forehead before giving the cheerleaders a warning glance and then walked away.

The display of affection looked too...domestic in the girls’ eyes and—ouch, that was a painful sight to look at. And Santana, being Santana...well...

“Are you guys together?”

“Santana!”

“San!”

“Sorry?” Rachel asked, her eyes growing wide comically.

“I’m sorry, Rachel. You know how Santana is,” Quinn apologized, offering a tight smile to the singer as one of her hands gripped the Latina’s wrists and dug her nails on it. Her smile morphed in to a sincere one when she heard the Latina hissed. Brittany, on the other hand, was itching to hit the back of Santana’s head.

“It’s okay. We kind of get that reaction a lot,” Rachel shrugged, smiling sheepishly, “I was just a little surprised. I understand though. Alex could be a little—”

“Flirty?” Quinn said.

“Touchy?” Brittany offered.

“Bitchy?”

“San!”

“What?”

Rachel watched in amusement as Quinn and Brittany reprimanded the Latina who was just shrugging it off. It seemed like nothing much had changed. Santana would always be snarky and blunt, Quinn would always be the polite one and Brittany would always be the one to keep the two girls in check. Now, where would Rachel fit in all of these? Did she even still have a place?

“Affectionate. I was going for affectionate,” Rachel finished her statement and the trio’s bantering automatically stopped.

“Well, that’s good for her,” Quinn replied, being her usual polite self before Santana could offer another inappropriate comment.

“Yeah...” Rachel drawled out, unsure of what to say next, “So, what brought you guys here? I wasn’t really expecting any guests today so forgive me if I’m such a mess.”

“We actually called earlier but you were asleep. I talked to Alex but I guess she didn’t mention we were supposed to come today.”

“Oh. It must have slipped her mind,” Rachel offered but if she knew the barista well—which she did—Alex purposely didn’t mention anything about it.  And it seemed like the girls shared the same thought.

“Oh I sure bet she forgot all about it,” Santana said snidely with a roll of her eyes.

“San, will you stop being yourself for the mean time?”

In their surprise, instead of stating an argument and being petulant, Santana sighed, leaned on the sofa and looked straight at the starlet, “Sorry, Rach. It’s been a long day.”

Rachel was taken aback that her mouth opened and closed in attempt to say something. She didn’t see that one coming, so as the rare gentle voice from the Latina, “Uhh...it’s okay. I understand. I’m sure you have a lot on your plate,” Rachel said, her eyes darting everywhere as a thought came to her mind, “You really didn’t have to come over though. You should have gone home and rest. I’m sure—”

“No, Rachel,” Santana stopped the girl, her voice laced with firmness, “We want to be here. I’m sorry if you got this all wrong. It’s just...” _It’s Alex! She irritated the hell out of me!_ “Look, we want to be here,” she repeated as she met the diva’s eyes, “Honestly, we were looking forward to seeing you. You’re not in school today and...you know. We thought we could pay you a visit and see how you are doing.”

“Also, we brought you notes from your classes so you wouldn’t miss much,” Quinn said as she dug through her bag and handed the brunette some papers, “We know how much you hated missing school.”

"Wow. Thanks. That's very thoughtful of you," Rachel beamed as she took the notes from Quinn. She scanned through it and was surprised that even those subjects that she didn't share with any of the three was there.

"It's our pleasure, Rachel," Quinn replied, giving the brunette one of those sweet smiles that could melt anyone.

Oh, the girls didn't need to mention how they threatened the nerds to make sure to get notes for the diva on the subjects that they didn't share with Rachel. She didn't have to know that.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

For the next two days that Rachel didn't go to school, the trio would always find themselves on the girl's doorstep every afternoon, bringing notes and checking up on her. And for two days, they would do their best to rein in the jealousy they felt as they watched Alex being affectionate to the diva. And for Rachel's sake, Alex and the girls had silently agreed to tone down the insults and mockeries and act civil around each other.

On Friday night, Alex had to leave early, much to the girls' delight. The trio offered to stay longer so that Rachel wouldn't be alone. Rachel then invited them to stay for dinner and they were more than glad to accept the offer.

So now, here they were, sitting in the Berry's kitchen as they intently watch Rachel cook dinner for them since the singer was adamant to accept help from them.

"You're guests. I would be such a poor hostess if I let you cook your own dinner which I invited you to, by the way."

The girls finally relented and simply settled themselves on the kitchen island. They talked and joked around as if they didn't spend the last two years living different lives. Their conversation was interrupted when Rachel's phone started ringing. The trio watched as the tiny brunette's face morphed in to a frown as she stared at her phone's screen.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Brittany asked.

Rachel pursed her lips as if debating against herself if she would answer the phone or not. She could sense the girls' eyes on her. Finally coming to a decision, she excused herself and took the call.

Santana watched the diva closely as she exited the kitchen, phone on her ears. She had observed the way Rachel anxiously stared at her phone and sensed that something was up right away. Relying on her Mexican third eye, the Latina made a move to follow the diva who went to the living room.

"S, where are you going?"

"Ssshhh!" Santana shushed the blondes, placing a finger on her lips. With her ninja skills, she subtly walked closer to the oblivious diva who was harshly whispering on the phone.

"I can't tonight, Bry. Dad won't let me."

...

"I thought he took care of it?"

...

Rachel sighed and rubbed her temples, "What is it this time?"

...

"What? I can't believe he'd do that."

...

"What about Jesse or Puck?"

...

"Fine. I'll be there tonight," Rachel huffed before ending the call.

Santana quickly walked back towards the kitchen. By the time her butt made contact to the seat, Rachel appeared on the entryway with a forced--Santana could see it--smile. The Latina sent a subtle look that said 'Later' to her confused girlfriends.

"So, who was it?" Santana asked casually as if she didn't spend the few minutes eavesdropping on the starlet. She wasn't able to hear the person on the other end of the line though. All she knew was that his name was 'Bry' which was probably a shortened name for something else. But whatever it was about, it sounded off to her.

And the way Rachel seemed to look distant and aloof about it only intensified the Latina's curiosity. She could see how the girl tensed at her question.

"Umm…that was...Dad. He was just checking up on me."

"I see," Santana replied, eyeing the diva who was now busy preparing the table as Quinn and Brittany helped. Of course Rachel was lying. Even if she didn't sneak up on her, she could see the lie all over Rachel's face. And it made her wonder why Rachel needed to lie. What was Rachel hiding from them? Better yet, why did she need to hide whatever it was?

"San, are you okay?"

Santana snapped back to reality when she felt Brittany squeezed her hand. She turned to her girlfriend and forced a smile, "I'm good, B."

"You're awfully quiet though," Rachel observed.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Quinn quipped, sending her Latina girlfriend a teasing smirk though her hazel eyes showed signs of curiosity.

"Shut up, blondie."

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel stomped inside the fight club. She felt bad about sneaking on her Daddy Hiram and she was sure she would get in a lot of trouble after this but she had her reasons. If only she had a choice, she would have preferred to stay at home and sleep. She was greeted by Brian who was looking at her apologetically.

"Sorry, Star. I heard you had a rough week but...I know how you hate your Dad fighting in the ring. I tried to stop him but you know how he is. Just don't cause any commotion, alright?"

Rachel nodded, "Thanks, Bry. I owe you one."

"Sure, kid. Good luck."

Rachel spotted her dad easily who seemed to be having a heated argument with Jesse and Puck. She hurriedly walked towards the trio and they all stopped talking as soon as she got close to them.

"Rachel! I swear I tried to stop him—"

"Honey, what are you doing here? What did I tell you ab—"

"Dad! Are you being serious right now?" Rachel huffed as she chastised her father.

"Rachel."

"Dad."

The two Berry's stared at each other with equal intensity, both too stubborn to look away. Jesse and Puck shifted uncomfortably as they watch the staring contest, feeling the tension between the father and daughter.

"Rachel, I'm doing this for you."

"And you don't have to. You can get in trouble when you go in there. You haven't been in the ring for quite a while."

"I will do just fine."

Rachel shook her head at her dad's stubbornness. She sure got it from him, "Dad, please. Don't do this."

Leroy stared at his daughter who was looking at him with pleading eyes, "Rachel, honey, you're in no condition to fight tonight. I tried to ask nicely but things kind of gotten out of hand. That bastard--"

"Dad!"

"I'm sorry, honey. I never meant to bring you into this."

"Oh God, Dad! Are we really having this conversation _now_?" Rachel exclaimed as she flailed her arms around, "Juts forfeit. Let's just go home."

"Umm...they won't let you forfeit, Rach," Jesse said reluctantly.

"What? Why the hell not?"

"Language!"

"Sorry," Rachel responded automatically. She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Fine. I'll fight."

"Absolutely not!"

"Dad! You're in no condition to fight more than I am. I have rested enough. I can handle this and there's nothing you can do about it."

With that, Rachel turned around and marched towards Brian to talk about the changes on the match.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel won the fight but not before limping out of the ring with more bruises than she could ever imagine. She might have to skip school next week as well because of it.

She was in a hurry to get out of the place so she could avoid the confrontation with her dad. She was in so much pain right now and she wasn't sure if she could concentrate enough to handle a decent conversation with him. She was just about to get onto her bike when she felt someone grab her arm.

“What are you suicidal?!"

“Alex..”

“Don’t Alex me! What were you thinking—wait. Were you even thinking?”

“Yes! I was! I was thinking about my Dad not getting hurt _again_! I was thinking about the day when he _almost_ died and I told myself that I would _never_ let that happen again!” Rachel snapped, her arms moving around as she blinked the unshed tears in her eyes—her emotions going haywire as she remembered the day that she would spend most of her afternoon and night sitting beside her dad’s hospital bed.

Alex visibly softened and pulled the distraught girl in her arms, “I’m sorry, Rach. I just...I was worried. You scared me in there. If it wasn’t for Puck or Jesse, I might have just got in to that ring and beat the crap out of that guy. Fuck the rules.”

Rachel chuckled despite the pain in her body as she pulled herself away from the hug, “It’s okay. And thanks for being here. I didn’t see you come in though.”

Alex shrugged, “Eh. You were busy kicking ass.”

“Rachel!”

Rachel groaned, "Noah, please. No talking."

"Promise. I just want to check if you’re okay to drive home. Hey Alex."

“Sup, Puck?”

Rachel nodded and smiled tiredly, "I'll be fine, Noah. Thanks."

“Don’t worry, Puck. I’ll drive her home.”

“I can’t just leave my bike here, Al.”

“Who said about leaving your bike? Hand me your keys.”

“But—”

“Keys, Rachel. Don’t make me say it again,” Alex demanded, lending her palm out.

“Hot,” Puck mumbled to herself as he stared at the barista. His smirk grew wider when Alex threw him a flirty wink.

Rachel rolled her eyes and huffed, placing the keys of her bike on Alex’s hand, “Just be careful, okay?”

Alex scoffed, “Of course. Relax. I’ll take care of your baby. And _you_ ,” she added with a wink.

Rachel smiled as she pulled the barista in to another hug.

"Let's convoy though. For my own peace of mind," Puck said, dangling the keys of his truck.

"Fine," Rachel agreed as they made their way towards their vehicles.

"Fight club, huh? I would have never guessed."

The three froze at the very familiar voice. Rachel's heart thudded as she took in a sharp breath, closed her eyes and prayed that she was mistaken. Slowly, she turned around and opened her eyes.

"Fuck."

Right there, standing in front of her with all their glory and hotness, was the Unholy Trinity.


	13. Chapter 12

"S, remind me again why we are here—hiding in your father's car, parked in the dark corner of the street and creeping on Rachel's house?" Quinn hissed from the passenger seat.

"Something's up, okay? I can feel it."

"That's it? That's the best you've got?"

"Look, I can't explain what exactly is up. But I have a bad feeling about tonight. Rachel lied when she said it was her dad on the phone."

"What are you talking about, San?"

"She wasn't talking to her dad but they were talking about him though. She mentioned a 'Bry'. That's the name of the caller."

"Okay. So she lied about the identity of her caller. That doesn't explain why we're acting like creeps."

Santana sighed, "Rachel mentioned that she was going to be somewhere tonight and my super amazing psychic power is telling me that we should follow her."

"That joke isn't funny, S. At all."

The Latina rolled her eyes and puff in exasperation, "I'm not joking, okay?"

"But it's like," Quinn looked at her wrist watch, "almost 11. We've been waiting here for almost two hours. It's waayy past her bedtime. I doubt she—"

Quinn stopped herself when the front door of the Berry household opened and Rachel came out. She was wearing a black leather jacket paired with jeans and black boots, with a red helmet on her hand.

"You were saying, Q?"

"Shut up."

The trio watched as Rachel walked in to their garage and pushed a red bike towards the street. They crouched down as Rachel seemed to look around her before she mounted on her bike, put on her helmet and drove away. Santana quickly started the car's engine when the bike was in decent distance before following Rachel.

After a half an hour drive, the girls found themselves parked around a corner (again), watching as Rachel walked towards a big guy before entering an old, beat up building. They were located in a deeper part of the city—dark, dirty and creepy. It didn't take a genius to know that bad things happen there and none of the girls were quite comfortable being in the area.

And the fact that Rachel seemed to be familiar with the place made them anxious.

"What is this place?" Quinn asked as she stared at the door that the diva disappeared in to.

"I've never been in this part of the city. This place creep me out," Brittany said with a shudder as she fidgeted on her seat, "Why did Rachel come here?"

"It's the Underground," Santana answered quietly, her gaze locked straight ahead.

The two blondes turned their heads on the Latina, confused.

"What?" they both asked in unison.

Santana released a deep breath and ran a hand on her hair. It made sense now. This would explain the bruises on Rachel's body. She was almost sure there was one time that she saw the tiny brunette limping in school although nobody would notice unless they would look closer—yes, Santana stared at Rachel sometimes. Or most of the time.

"San?"

The Latina shook her head and released another sigh, "It's the Underground," she repeated, "It's...it's a fight club."

"A fight club? Seriously??"

"Oh no, Q. I'm totally fucking with you."

Quinn scowled at her girlfriend and crossed her arms, not liking the sarcasm lacing on her voice. She was about to retort when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Brittany's calming eyes. She huffed in resignation before raising her hands in mock surrender.

Brittany tried to placate her two girlfriends. She didn't like the sudden tension that was surrounding the car. The three of them had been on edge the moment Rachel stepped out of the house in the middle of the night. And the further Rachel led them deeper in to the city, the more tensed the got that they couldn't even engage in small talk without getting in to each other's nerves.

The idea of Rachel getting involved in a fight club was the final draw. It was far beyond their list of possibilities. Unlike Brittany, her two girlfriends were never good at dealing with stress especially when it involved emotions. And no matter how much they love each other, they had their moments where they just want to tear each other's head off.

"We should go in there."

"We should, B...but we can't unless we're ready to have a physical smack down with musclemen...or women."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Quinn asked, irritated. Her feet were itching to get out of the car and burst through that door then drag Rachel away from that place.

Santana rolled her eyes, "It's a rule, okay? Once you stepped inside, you are automatically entered in to the list of fighters. Which meant you will need to enter the ring and fight. No excuses."

"Oh," Brittany murmured, her lips forming an ‘O’ shape as she absorbed the information in her head.

"Yeah. Oh."

"And you know all of these because?" Quinn asked suspiciously, "And don't even say that you're a Lopez because I got that already. And quite frankly, it's getting tiring," she quickly added.

Again, the eye roll but the Latina remained silent.

The two blondes watched as the gears on their girlfriend's head turn. Quinn arched her brow while Brittany frowned as they waited for Santana to talk. They didn't fail to notice that she seemed to be trying to formulate what to say to them in her head.

"Don't even try lying, Santana," Brittany chastised.

Oohh. Complete name. That always, _always_ worked on Santana especially if it came from the tall blonde. She fidgeted on her seat; the look that her girlfriends were giving her was making her feel uneasy. Finally, she groaned in resignation, "Fine. I may or may not have been there once."

“Explain please.”

The Latina winced. She didn’t need to look at her girlfriends to know that Quinn was now channeling her inner bitch while Brittany was narrowing her eyes at her.

“I...Oh fuck it!” Santana groaned, “It happened last year, okay? Remember the time when everything was so fucked up and the three of us weren’t talking because of...you know,” she explained, her arms flailing around, “I was really upset and lost and...hurt.”

Quinn and Brittany were silent as they went on a mini trip to memory lane—the time when their feelings for each almost cost them each other.

"I had no one to turn to at that time. I felt so lost and, well, you know how I am when I get all emotional and shit. I hate feeling that way and Rach-" Santana paused as she realized what she was about to say.

Rachel was the only person who had always kept her grounded once her violent side comes out. It was Rachel who would stand tall—as tall as she could—with all her stubbornness and determination to keep the Latina in control.

And with Rachel gone in her life, Santana was at a loss. She didn't know how to handle the situation with the two blondes back then. She was scared and just really angry with everything and everyone.

So, just like when they were still kids, she resorted to violence—anything to take away the emotional hurt she was feeling. Heck, she could have all her bones broken and she wouldn't even care...as long as the pain in her heart disappeared.

And just like that, something clicked in her brain. Her eyes grew wide, her mouth opened slightly as she quickly sat up straight.

"Oh my God."

"S? What is it?" Quinn asked, confused and alarmed at the sudden change in her girlfriend's demeanor.

"Oh my God," Santana repeated as she bumped her forehead over and over again on the steering wheel mumbling 'it's our fault' like a chant.

"Hey S, talk to us. You're freaking me out," Quinn said shakily as she gently grabbed Santana's hand.

Santana looked up, her eyes shining with unshed tears, surprising the blondes, "It's our fault, Q. We did this to Rachel."

"San, baby, you're not making any sense."

"Don't you get it, B? We are the reason Rachel is in there right now. We pushed her to get involved in fight club," Santana exclaimed, turning her head to the old building, "I get it now. Rachel and I...We have always been similar in that way. That's why we understood each other when we were kids. Remember those times whenever we feel threatened or hurt, we go to defensive mode and we end up hurting ourselves? It was our escape. Somehow it made us feel better."

"But San, I don't remember Rachel getting all violent the way you did. I mean, she was never the one to start a fight."

Santana sighed, shaking her head, "No. It was different back then. She had us."

"Oh..." escaped from Quinn's lips as realization dawned on to them.

Brittany slumped back to her seat in defeat, "Oh wow. We really messed her up, didn’t we?"

"We're monsters. Heartless bitches. I mean, we had a major argument and we stopped talking for weeks and I ended up here. Rachel was bullied, laughed at, insulted and slushied by _us_ —her supposedly best friends—for two years! Two fucking years!"

The car was engulfed in silence as they let the revelation sunk in. Guilt devoured their hearts, they sat motionless as images of Rachel covered in slushie and being the center of humiliation invaded their minds.

Santana was right. It was their fault.

"I...I didn't think it would come to this...I-I mean Rachel had always been tough and..and...she...", Quinn stammered. She knew there was no excuse with their past actions towards the diva but she was too overwhelmed that she couldn't help but make an excuse. And she failed. Badly, "Oh God. We have to go in there. We have to check if she's okay. She's already hurt pretty bad. She—"

"Is that Alex?" Brittany interrupted Quinn's worried rambling as she pointed out the window.

Quinn and Santana looked up straight and noticed a familiar tall brunette walking towards the building entrance. They watched as the barista talked to the same man that Rachel talked to before entering the building.

"What is she doing here?" Quinn frowned.

Santana let out a humorless laugh, "Of course she knows about this. No wonder she wasn't that bothered when she came to pick Rachel up at the house the other day."

"What do we do now?" Brittany asked quietly.

Instead of answering, Santana got out of the car and started her way towards the building. She could hear the two girls getting out of the car as well, calling after her.

"S! What the hell?!" Quinn exclaimed as she grabbed the Latina's arm, halting her from her movement, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Where do you think? You said so yourself. We have to check on Rachel. I'm going in there," Santana announced, determination in her face. She tried to break free of the shorter blonde's hold but the grip only tightened.

"No, Santana. You're not going in there. _We_ are."

"But Q—"

"No, San. Quinn is right. We're not letting you go in there alone. Quinn and I were in this too. You don't have to put everything in your shoulders and carry it all by yourself."

Santana sighed as she stared at her girlfriends before nodding reluctantly, "Fine."

The two blondes smiled and Santana couldn't help but return the gesture. The trio then proceeded to walked towards the guard in a way that they usually do when they stepped into the halls of McKinley.

Except this time, Santana was in the middle. Because this was her thing. This was her expertise.

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

A few minutes later...

"Why won't you let us in?!" Santana exclaimed as she angrily flail her arms towards the building. She wasn't expecting this to be so tough. It's been twenty minutes and the three still had no luck. They tried sweet talking, flirting—even went as far as Quinn running her hand across the man's buff, hairy chest (which was bare since the man was only wearing a leather vest that was left open) while her girlfriends tried their best not to cringe at the bold move from the Head Cheerio. And Quinn felt her skin crawl with every second. However, Bruno—that was his name—just won't budge. Damn it!

Bruno smirked, roaming his eyes on the girls, "Seriously? Look at you."

The trio looked at themselves and frowned. So they may be wearing dresses and heels that hugged every curve in their body because when they went out tonight, they were under the pretense that they were going to another high school party. Of course they failed to mention to their parents that they were actually about to check—not stalk, really—the diva to see what's up with her.

"So yeah. Not gonna happen ladies. Go party somewhere else. This isn’t a place for you kids, especially girls like you."      

“Girls like us? What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” Santana snapped, making a move to attack the muscled man but was held back by her girlfriends.

“S, no. Picking a fight with him will only lessen our chance of getting in,” Quinn hissed at the Latina’s ear, effectively calming her down. A little.

Brittany squared her shoulders and cleared her throat, slowly making her way towards Bruno, “Mister,” she started, her voice soft and sweet, “you see, we have a friend inside there that might be in trouble. We just want to check if she’s alright. After that, we’ll be out of your face. _Please,_ ” she pleaded, this time there was sincere desperation in her voice. She wanted to see Rachel so badly that she would even consider kneeling in front of this man just so they could take a peek on the diva. Their conversation in the car had hit her hard and broke her heart. She had never been ashamed of herself as much as she was now—not even when she was being bullied during childhood.

Bruno took in the tall blonde before answering, “I can’t.”

Brittany looked crestfallen, looking down at her feet. She felt the presence of her girlfriends on either side of her, wrapping their arms around her.

If anybody asked, Bruno would totally deny that he had gone soft at the sight of these girls, “You know, I may or may not know that on the left side of this building, there’s a stair leading to the basement. If you can get yourself in there, there’s a small window inside with a good view of the fight.”

The trio’s eyes lit up and smiled at Bruno, their eyes shining with unshed tears of gratitude.

“Thank you,” Brittany whispered.

“Don’t mention it,” Bruno said sternly and met each of the girls’ eyes, “Ever.”

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Santana had always been thankful for learning how to pick a lock but she had never appreciated it as much as she did tonight. She, Quinn and Brittany were able to enter the basement with no problem at all. From the inside, they could practically hear the screaming and cheering from the other side of the room. The room was dark, only illuminated by a small bulb and the light coming from the window that they assumed to be the one with a good view of the fight.

However, said window was located a little too high for any of them to reach. So using the skills and strength they had learned from cheering, Santana and Brittany effortlessly lifted Quinn up until she was face to face with the window. The Head Cheerio scrunched her face as she wiped the dust that had accumulated the glass. Once it was clear, she gasped with what she saw.

Bruno was right. This window had a good view of the fight. Actually, it was perfect—except for the sight of Rachel fighting in the middle of the ring. It was making her knees weak and she held on to the window for support.

“Q! Stop shaking before you fall on your ass!”

“What do you see?” Brittany asked silently, her tone tinged with worry as she noticed the look on her girlfriend’s face. 

However, Quinn couldn’t seem to comprehend what the girls were saying as her eyes never strayed from the sight in front of her. It was painful to watch but she couldn’t get her eyes away from the tiny brunette swinging her fists and dodging punches. Quinn’s heart would skip a beat every time Rachel would take a hit and sigh in relief when the diva would successfully evade a flying fist or a kick.

“Quinn!”

“Q!”

“What?!” Quinn hissed looking down at her girlfriends.

“What do you see?!” Santana snapped. She was feeling more anxious with every second spent that Quinn continued staring wide eyed at the window instead of answering Brittany’s question the first time.

“It’s Rachel. She’s in the ring.”

“What? I wanna see!”

Quinn went deaf again as she turned her gaze back to the fight. Why wasn’t it over yet? Were they waiting for one of them to get killed? At that thought, the Head Cheerio shuddered; her knees wobbled causing Santana’s and Brittany’s hold to shake and the three of them stumbled to the floor, with Quinn on top of the two as they attempted to catch their falling captain. 

“Ow!”

“Shit!”

“The fuck Q!”

“Shit! I’m so sorry!” Quinn apologized in a rush as she got up and helped her two girlfriends on their feet. 

“What the hell was that?” Santana asked incredulously as she and Brittany brushed off the dust from their dresses.

“Sorry,” Quinn said, a sheepish, embarrassed smile on her lips, “I was just thi—”

Quinn was interrupted by the loud cheering from the other side of the room. The trio looked at each other, sharing the same thought.

The fight was over.

With quick movements, Quinn was once again hoisted up towards the small window to check the result of the match. Her rapid heartbeat slowed down a bit when she saw Rachel limping out of the ring; her opponent lying unconscious on the mat. Her eyes once again found the tiny brunette who was now talking to a small group of people that she was very acquainted with. And then Rachel was walking away towards to what she assumed as the exit.

"Quinn?" 

"Put me down," Quinn said hastily. 

Confused, Santana and Brittany lowered Quinn to the ground. They followed the shorter blonde as she quickly made her way towards the exit.

"Q, what's up?" Santana called, grabbing Quinn's arm before she could open the door.

"I saw Puck in there!"

"Puck? I knew it! That—"

"And Jesse and Alex."

"Oh of course! Those two—"

"...and Daddy Lee."

"I'm sorry. Did you just say Daddy Lee?"

"Yes, S."

"As in...Leroy Berry?" Brittany asked hesitantly.

"Yes, B. As in Rachel's dad."

Another silence

"W-what? How? Why?"

"I don't know, B..." Quinn answered quietly, shaking her head, "I really don't. But we have to hurry. I think they were about to leave."

With that, the trio got out of the room and hurriedly made their way to the front of the building. From afar, they could see Alex and Rachel talking. But from the expression on the two brunette's face, it looked more like they were arguing.

Curious, they looked at each other and started their way to the duo's direction, stopping a few feet away from them. They couldn't hear the conversation but once Alex and Rachel made a move towards the diva's bike, Santana decided to let their presence known.

"Fight club, huh? I would have never guessed.”

Okay. That was probably not a good way to say 'hello' to them—especially when Rachel turned around and faced them, her eyes wide in shock, her mouth opening and closing, struggling to utter a word. 

The trio would have found it amusing since it's very rare that a Rachel Berry could be rendered speechless. However, the situation didn't deemed it appropriate so they remained motionless, the three of them wearing the same curious, concern and serious looks on their faces. 

They had their eyes set on the beat up, bloody girl in front of them. It took all of them not to fawn over the small brunette who seemed to look even smaller and frail with her current state. But of course, they knew better. They were aware of their current position on the diva's life—just some girls that Rachel used to know. And looking at her, they couldn't help being devoured by the guilt they were feeling now.

It was even worse looking at the damage they had caused than just realizing it for the first time.

Brittany anxiously gnawed on her lip as she assessed the situation. She really wanted to give Rachel a hug, carry her bridal style towards their car away from this place and not give a fuck with everything else. She would bandage her up like what they did to her a few nights ago and not leave her side, like ever.

But the tall blonde didn't think it would be an acceptable course of action since she could see how Rachel's body stiffened at the site of her and her girlfriends. She didn't want to freak the tiny brunette out. Or worse, rile her up and get a verbal lashing from the small girl...again.

Quinn's lips tightened on a straight line. Out of the three of them, she probably had the strongest urge to thrust her body towards Rachel and then burst in to tears. Because, let's face it, the weight on the damaged they had caused Rachel felt heavier on her shoulders. She was the Head Cheerio. She could have done something to stop the bullying. But instead, she initiated it with Santana and Brittany.

But you know what the worst feeling was? It was the fact that when they were kids, it was Quinn who needed the most saving and Rachel was there. She was always there. Every. Fucking. Time.

Quinn kept her face straight but deep inside, her heart was crying for the tiny diva.

Santana's mind involuntarily traveled back to memory lane at the sight of the diva. She remembered those times when she would start a fight, get beat up only to be saved by Rachel and then they would come home, both their clothes dirty with bruises and cuts on their faces. They would get punished by Rachel's dads but they would just laugh it off once the Berry men turned their backs. Then after a week or two, they would come home with the same state, dirty and bruised but wearing smiles on their faces.

Back then, the two of them always had each other's back. Always. Well, it was more like Rachel always had her back. And with that thought, Santana felt a tug on her heart.

Rachel always had her back, she repeated in her thought. But Santana? She had turned her back on the diva. For every cuts and bruises that tiny brunette had on her face and body, Santana couldn't help but think that she should be sharing them with Rachel. Like how it used to be.

And the tug on her heart intensified.

Fucking guilt.

Before any of them could say anything...

"Rachel Barbara Berry! Come back here!" A loud booming voice interrupted the tension among the people involved. Leroy Berry came out, his feet stomping heavily on the ground, followed by a frantic Jesse. The Berry man came to a halt and mirrored his daughter's reaction once his eyes landed on the three very familiar girls that weren't supposed to be there at all.

"Oh dear," Leroy managed to utter, his anger towards Rachel momentarily forgotten, "What are you girls doing here?"

Santana was about to open her mouth when Alex’s voice stopped her.

“Rachel!”

They all turned to see the tiny brunette collapsed on Alex’s arms, unconscious.

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"Stalk much?" Alex commented with a raised eyebrow that would challenge Quinn's.

Santana and Quinn both sneered at Alex out of impulse. Because yeah, when the tall barista talked, they seemed to go on defense mode no matter if they were at fault. Brittany was better at keeping her cool except that one time a few days ago. And Alex? Well, she seemed to _really_ know how she could affect them and never _ever_ had she failed at riling them up.

The three of them were now sitting at the Berry’s living room after Rachel freaked them all out when she suddenly fainted, Alex catching her before she could hit the ground. So now, they found themselves awkwardly sitting there with the Berry men and Alex while Rachel was upstairs, sleeping—and they were so thankful that Rachel was going to be fine. Jesse had been wise enough to avoid the awkward conversation and decided to call it a night—or morning. While Puck, well, he realized that he had enough beating for the night and would ‘see’ the girls on Monday. For all they knew, the Mohawk boy was dreading for the possible confrontation on Monday. Whatever. They would deal with him soon.

The trio had just finished telling them how they ended up on that shitty part of the city, which led to Alex’s reaction a few minutes ago. Why was she ever there anyway? This had nothing to do with her. However, they had more pressing matters to deal with, like the stern looks that the Berry men were giving them.

“So...not only that you eavesdrop on a very private conversation,” Leroy started, staring at Santana who had the decency to look guilty and ashamed, “You also, I would say stalk, like how Alex put it,” this time his eyes went to the barista who was giving him a lazy grin, “but that would seem to be such a big word so I would go for follow. And though we understand your concern towards Rachel, following her could have gotten you in danger. Bad things happen in that area.”

“And with what you girls are wearing, I’d say you would most likely attract half of the hooligans if only they weren’t so busy watching people kill each other in that ring—which I still don’t understand why some people find it so entertaining,” Hiram chimed in, narrowing his eyes on his husband who only looked at him as if to say ‘What?’.

“Anyway, we honestly don’t know how to explain all of these to you, girls. I know you probably think we are bad parents for letting Rachel do _this_ but we never wanted this for our daughter either. It’s just that—”

“Daddy Lee,” Quinn interrupted, “Please. Don’t stress yourself about this. You don’t owe us any explanation and I believe everyone would agree when I say that you are not bad parents. The girls and I have known you half our lives, almost like second parents to the three of us,” Yes, that guilt was certainly eating Quinn alive as she utter those words. These men were so good to them and what did they do in return? They broke their only daughter’s heart. They deserve to burn in hell. And ‘Daddy Lee’? Really? She really had the nerve to still call him that, “and we’re sure that whatever it is, you have a good reason behind everything that’s happening to Rachel.”

“And we will never say a word. To anyone. At all,” Brittany reassured, looking at the Berry men before casting her eyes downward as if contemplating what she was about to say next, “We know we haven’t been around much. And...there’s really no excuse for our absence. We’ve done things that we are not really proud of and we regret them, like, big time. And—”

“B,” Santana stopped the taller blonde’s ranting, placing a hand on her arm, as if sensing what her girlfriend was supposed to say. And though she wanted to confess to the Berry men about Rachel—despite the fact that the idea scared her shitless, she also believed that tonight wouldn’t be the best time for that. They already had a rough night as it was, “I think we should reserve that part on another day.”

Brittany looked at Santana, and then to Quinn who seemed to be silently telling her that she agreed with the Latina. Brittany nodded and turned her eyes back to the two men who were now wearing identical look of confusion, “Well, I guess we’ll talk about that part some other time. I just... _we_ just want you to know that...we still care, Da—Mr. Berrys.”

Hiram raised an eyebrow while Leroy did a double take when the not so familiar formality came out of the blonde’s lips. The girls had never called them that since...well, ever, actually. They had been calling them Daddy Lee and Daddy H ever since.

“Well,” Leroy started after an awkward pause, “whatever ‘that part’ you’re talking about seemed to be...really serious if it had gotten you to call us Mr. Berry.”

“Which sounded really...strange to my ears,” Hiram piped in.

“Oh, you have no idea how serious,” Alex mumbled the same time as Hiram talked.

“And you have a good idea about it?” Leroy asked, sending Alex a suspicious glance, apparently hearing what the tall brunette said.

Alex stared back at Leroy, her face blank and unblinking. Her and her big mouth, “Okay. Time to go to bed,” with that, she was up from the couch and out of the living room without waiting for a response.

The five remaining occupants were once again engulfed in an uncomfortable silence, each of them aware of the tension in the air.

“Mr. Berry,” Santana began, breaking the silence.

“Still weird to hear that,” Hiram mumbled.

Quinn mentally rolled her eyes because, apparently, she was the only one who wasn’t in her right mind to call Leroy, ‘Daddy Lee’.

“We know this isn’t our business and we shouldn’t have followed Rachel,” Santana continued, “and I don’t know about Q and B, but I would never apologize for it because what happened tonight made me realize a lot of things. And it only made me more determined to get Rachel,” she paused as she realized what she just said, “I mean, to fix our rela—friendship with Rachel. Yeah. Friendship.”

“Well, that’s good to know, girls. We don’t really know what happened between you four. Rachel won’t say anything which was just...unnerving. It wasn’t like her,” Hiram said, his eyes sad and tired.

“She hasn’t really been herself since she stepped foot in high school. We tried but she just won’t talk to us. I’m sure if there’s anyone who could get past her barriers, it would be you three. She could open up to you in a way that she could never do to us. I guess there are things that teenagers are more comfortable talking to their friends that their own parents.”

And that guilt? Yep. It had definitely eaten the girls alive.

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

The trio headed to one of the guest rooms as soon as they said their goodnights to the Berrys. That conversation was something they didn’t want to happen again. They didn’t dare to wonder what it would be like once they told Rachel’s dads that it was them that had caused Rachel to become emotionally withdrawn.

Yeah. Definitely not looking forward to it. Don’t get them started with their own parents.

They chose the room nearest to Rachel’s since it had, if they remembered correctly, the bigger bed between the two guest rooms. Quinn turned the knob and was surprised to see Alex sitting on the bed, creepily staring at the wall.

“Oh sorry. We didn’t know this was already occupied,” Quinn said, surprising even herself at the lack of hostility in her tone even if she was disappointed that, not only was the room with the bigger bed but also the room just beside Rachel’s, was now occupied by Alex.

The three of them were about to turn around if not for Alex talking.

“It’s not,” Alex said evenly, “I’m not that inconsiderate,” she turned her eyes on the trio as she said the last word.

“Why are you here then?” Santana asked, ignoring the silent accusation from the barista.

Alex sighed and stood up, facing the girls, “I want to talk.”

“If this is about Rachel—”

“Of course this is about Rachel,” Alex interrupted Brittany but her tone didn’t hold any malice in to it. She was actually being conversational—like a normal human being should be. What? She was tired, “When it comes to the four of us, it will always be about Rachel.”

“That is true,” Quinn agreed, her voice calm. It seemed that the four of them had silently agreed to have a temporary ceasefire for tonight.

“What about Rachel?” Brittany asked as she passed by Alex to sit down on the bed. She was soon followed by Santana while Quinn remained standing, having a staring contest with the barista.

“I just hope you won’t give Rachel a hard time about this. She’s already been through enough as you already know. I don’t think she could handle more especially if it involved you three.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“San...”

Santana looked at Brittany incredulously before rolling her eyes and slumping on the bed.

“Look, I didn’t mean to offend you...for now,” Alex added and fought the urge to grin when it was Quinn’s turn to roll her eyes, “We all know what you are—were to Rachel. And it may not seem like it, but you still have a major effect on her. Her world used to revolve around you three, and I guess, unconsciously, it still does right now. And believe me, I tried to put some sense in to her but she just won’t budge. I never really understood what she saw in you.”

This time, Alex didn’t hold back a chuckle when Quinn groaned. She didn’t have to glance at the other two girls to know the displeased look on their faces as well.

“Anyway, my point is—”

“Yeah. We got your point. And don’t worry. We won’t say a word about this until Rachel’s ready,” And Quinn meant that. She would make sure that her two girlfriends were on the same page as her too. Although she was dying to know this side of Rachel, and even if they already had a pretty good idea what had led Rachel in to this, she was aware that the three of them were not in the right place to question the tiny brunette. It would take a lot of hard work to get Rachel to open up but it’s something that they were more than willing to do. Rachel was worth it. She would always be worth it.

“I’ll take your word for it, Fabray. Because after tonight, I’m sure this is going to be the last time Rachel will ever set foot in the ring for a long time. And knowing Rachel, she would be emotionally stressed without it. And that’s something I’m not really looking forward to seeing.”

With that, Alex started towards the door. Before she walked out, she turned over her shoulder and said, “By the way, this conversation never happened.”

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Later that night, a door being opened and silent footsteps were heard across the hallway. There were hushed whispers and then there was a sound of another door creaking open.

The trio found themselves in Rachel’s bed room. Quinn and Santana were lying down on either side of the brunette while Brittany was sitting on the foot of the bed. They watched her sleep for a few minutes before they each gave the sleeping diva a kiss on the forehead and got up.

“Good night, Rach. I’m so sorry for everything,” Quinn whispered, her voice thick with emotions before planting another kiss on the corner of Rachel’s lips.


	14. Chapter 13

Rachel stood in one corner of the Puckerman’s kitchen while nursing a bottle of beer as she watched the McKinley’s elite students get wasted and made a fool out of themselves. It was quite entertaining actually. This was her first high school party and though she had always been curious why high school students seemed to make a big deal out of it, she still found herself questioning why she was there in the first place.

Oh yeah. Puck sort of invited-slash-forced her to come so she could ‘loosen up a bit’ because, apparently, she had been sulking around and getting all moody and snappy lately. Unfortunately, Puck and Jesse had been the receiving end of it which was why they had devised a ‘nefarious plan’ to get her out of the house and into this party that Puck was known for in school. And that plan was comprised of, well, practically just begging her and using the friend card and guilt tripping her because, according to Puck, she had always rejected her every time he would ask her to one of his parties. Every single time. She thought she saw a pout in there while he was saying his speech.

And that was why she had found herself alone, looking lonely with just a bottle of beer to accompany her. Rachel rolled her eyes inwardly at her own dramatics. True, she was surrounded my stupid teenagers who were being loud and careless, making a mess at the makeshift dance floor, involving in underage drinking and probably having unprotected sex somewhere upstairs. The last thought made her grimace as images flooded her mind. She shook her head and sighed. Those were the reasons (except drinking) she preferred to be alone in a crowd of crazy people her own age. This just wasn’t her thing. She never belonged there. That was why she never tried to ‘fit in’ because she knew she had to change _everything_ about her for that to happen.

So, thanks but no thanks. She was getting along just fine as it was.

She needed some fresh air. This place was kind of getting depressing for her. Where was Alex anyway? The barista promised that she would come to the party as well just so she wouldn’t feel left out. Well, Rachel had been waiting for hours—but that’s because she had been staying at the Puckerman’s even before the party started. . In reality, it’s only been an hour and a half since the household had been filled by the elitists of McKinley and she was already dying of boredom.

Ugh. Puck could be very persuasive if he tried. And it didn’t even have to do with him mentioning that the Unholy Trinity would be there as well. No, not at all.

Rachel chugged her remaining beer before placing it on the table and made sure to grab another one before squeezing herself in the mass of sweaty bodies. Sometimes she was thankful for having a petite figure. Suddenly, she felt lightheaded and the mixed smell of alcohol and smoke in the room only made her worse. She leaned her forehead against a wall and closed her eyes. She was too preoccupied on keeping herself up that she didn’t notice almost everyone had stopped with what they were doing to stare at the newcomers.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

The Unholy Trinity made their appearance at the party and they weren't disappointed as heads turned to their direction. Three pairs of eyes scanned the room with their head bitch in charge attitude, ignoring the cat calls and glaring on whoever attempted to come near them. They had a mission.

Look for a certain small brunette and make sure that her first high school party wouldn't be a disaster.

Ecstatic, though a little surprised, would be an understatement to describe what they felt when Puck told them that he and Jesse were able to convince the diva to attend the party tonight. While Quinn and Santana managed to contain their excitement, Brittany actually squealed and jumped and clapped her hands before lunging herself on the mohawk who smirked, innocently lowering his hands on the tall blonde's ass only to yelp in pain as Santana twisted his left hand while Quinn smacked him at the back of his head. And then they walked away without a glance at the defeated-looking boy.

Despite of that, the girls thanked him silently.

It had been two weeks since the night they discovered about Rachel's extracurricular activity. And as expected, the singer was banned from going to any fight clubs. The Berrys made sure of it. Unfortunately, they were there to witness that awkward situation the next day. Alex too. It seemed like the Berry men already considered the four of them to be a part of their family—and really, that only made them feel worse because of the guilt—and were comfortable enough to discuss the situation with Rachel.

And to their surprise, Rachel simply nodded her head and didn't make eye contact to any of them throughout breakfast until she excused herself to go to her room.

Rachel missed another three days of school and the girls made it their personal mission to drop the diva's notes and homework, sometimes staying until dinner when Rachel's dads were not home to keep her company. And for those three days that it was just them, it felt like nothing had changed between the four of them.

Sure. Alex was there too. But for Rachel's sake, they managed to come down to a truce. They still had their moments though. Some habits were hard to break after all. And like what they had agreed about that night, nobody asked Rachel anything. Quinn and Brittany were actually proud of Santana for keeping her mouth shut.

Quinn felt a tap on her right shoulder. She leaned back slightly as Brittany whispered to her ear.

"Found her," Brittany said, pointing at a direction near the kitchen where a tiny brunette was being manhandled by none other than Finn fucking Hudson. And by the looks of it, Rachel seemed to be too drunk to fend the beast off.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel felt weird. She was pretty sure she hadn't drank that much. She only had two bottles so far and currently holding her third. She wasn't a drinker but she wasn't a lightweight either. So why does she feel so dizzy? And so, so...sleepy...

“Well, well. How’re you feeling, Berry? Sleepy?”

“Hey Finn! Did you get her?”

Finn scoffed, “Sure did.”

Voices...Rachel could hear voices...but it sounded so far away...and muffled...and...what? What were they saying? Upstairs...room...what?

Ugh. She felt sick. She needed to sit down for a while.

Rachel's brain was screaming for her feet to move but she stayed on her spot. She couldn't move. She felt like some kind of force was stopping her from moving around. She tried to move again. Her muscles wouldn't budge. Then there was pain on her right arm.

What the hell was going on?

Suddenly, the strange force left her body, her knees getting wobbly and she leaned on the wall again for support, her eyes drooping close.

Why was everyone yelling all of a sudden?

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Quinn couldn't help the growl that came out of her throat. That fucking oaf! Boyfriend (that made her cringe) or not, he's going to pay for laying a hand on Rachel. Before the Head Cheerio could take the first step, she saw a blur of tanned skin got past her. She watched as Santana Lopez marched down the distance between them and the green giant.

Ignoring the looks from the people in the room, the two blondes power walked towards the three brunettes who were now causing a ruckus, the crowd slowly building around them.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing you giant piece of shit?!" Santana barked as she shove Finn with all her strength—which was a lot—causing the quarterback to stumble backwards in surprise, getting caught by the group of jocks that he was with.

"What the hell, Satan?! What's your problem?!" Finn spat as soon as he regained his balance.

"You're my problem and your pea-sized moronic of a brain, you jackass! And the fact that you look like a taco addict who's had one too many back alley liposuctions, you fucking waste of space!"

"Shut up! SHUT UP BITCH!" Finn attempted to lunge at the raging Latina but he came face to face with Puck who pushed him back.

"Oh no you won't Hudson!"

"Let go, Puck! I'm going to show that bit—"

**_*smack*_ **

The whole room went silent. The music stopped. People's eyes widened, jaw dropped, some pulling out their phones to take videos, as they watched the golden boy clutched on his now reddened cheek where the Ice Queen's hand had just made contact with.

"Finn Hudson. Nobody had ever made me feel as ashamed as you did tonight. This is, by far, the most embarrassing thing you have ever done. And that's saying something."

"Babe—"

Quinn held up a hand in front of Finn who was now looking at his girlfriend with wide eyes. She didn’t even fight the urge to make face at the term of _endearment_.

"Not only did you manhandled a helpless girl—"

"Berry's not helpless! She’s a freak!"

**_*smack*_ **

"Don't call her that," Quinn said between gritted teeth, her voice low and cold, " _Ever_."

"B-but—"

"Shut up, Hudson. I want you out of my life. _Permanently_. I don't want to see even just the outline of your shadow near me. _Ever_. Understood?"

"W-what?"

"Are you really that dense?" Santana piped in.

"Are you breaking up with me?"

"Again, dense."

“Shut up!” Finn huffed, sending the Latina a glare before turning to his now ex-girlfriend, "You can't do this to me, Quinn! You need me!"

Brittany scoffed. Santana snickered. Quinn rolled her eyes. Puck stared at him with a 'wtf' look. And Rachel? Rachel kept swaying in her place as she leaned against the wall, tilting her head back with a thud, oblivious with all the commotion going around her.

"I don't need anyone, Finn," _Except for my girlfriends and Rachel_ , "Especially not you," Quinn finished with a jab on the quarterback's chest, turned on her heels and ignored the whining giant to check on Rachel.

"Party's over for you, Hudson. Get out of my house."

"Whatever, Puckerman."

"Alright everyone. Show's over. Go fuck yourselves," Santana demanded, flailing her hands around as she glared at everybody until the crowd dispersed.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"Hey Rach, are you okay?" Quinn asked softly, her hands on the diva's shoulders, tilting her head down in an attempt to look at the brunette's face.

"Mmhh....dizzy...wanna sleep..."

"What's up with her, Puck? Did she drink too much already?" Santana asked, turning her attention to the mohawk.

"No. I don’t think so. She hasn’t been drinking much actually. She’s just waiting for Alex. And the party just started. She couldn’t be wasted already.”

“What’s wrong with her then?” Brittany asked.

Puck shrugged, worry showing on his face, “I’m not really sure.”

“Karofsky!” With quick steps, she was in front of the jock, looking at the cowering jock dangerously, “What did you do to her?”

“I-It was Hudson’s idea!”

“What. Did. You. Do. To. Rachel?” Quinn’s voice was low and stern.

“Finn put some kind of sleeping drug on her drink,” Karofsky mumbled, his voice barely audible.

“He what?!” Santana exclaimed, “He fucking what?!”

“I-I’m sorry!” the jock squeaked, before running off.

“I should’ve done more than just slap him.”

“Puck, you’re supposed to be looking after her.”

Puck sighed, “Sorry, Britt. I didn’t think Finn would actually go that low. I mean, I know she’s still everyone’s favorite target, but I didn’t really expect that anyone would make a move tonight. Especially as stupid as what Finn did.”

They frowned at that. It was them who started it anyway. It was because of them that Rachel was being targeted. At least Puck stopped with his own will and actually tried to lessen Rachel's bullying in his own subtle way. But the Unholy Trinity? They were the worst.

However, since finding out about the fight club and the gruesome realization that it was their fault that Rachel was there in the first place, and then spending three days with her, alone (except Alex was there too), they had been watching the diva closely, observing from afar and staying on guard in case some moron tries to do something moronic to their tiny singer.

They were now making small talks with Rachel in the hallway, ignoring the looks from the crowd. They would march down the halls of McKinley, looking all fierce and just plain bitchy, but then throw a sincere smile to the diva's direction. Sometimes a wink from Brittany. They would walk her to class except they were five feet away from the girl and Rachel didn't even have an idea that they were just there. Then they would eat lunch with her except they would be sitting at the very back of the auditorium while Rachel was at the front or rehearsing. And again, Rachel had no idea they were just there.

No, it wasn't creepy. It's just that when they tried to actually ask Rachel properly, but then she would look at them with those big brown eyes as if they just told her they were gay for each other. Well, it was true but Rachel didn't know that. _Yet_. Then things would get awkward and Rachel would start rambling and before they knew it, the diva was sprinting off towards the opposite direction. And then they would just look at each other, dumbfounded.

Suffice to say, they didn't try again in fear that the small brunette would freak out again.

Though they were a little confused with how Rachel was behaving since they were doing fine on that three days they spent at the Berrys. As soon as she went back to school, Rachel had been a little aloof from them. But then again, they really couldn't blame her for not trusting them. Especially in school since that was probably where every shitty thing in Rachel’s life happened to her. Still, the rejection stung. Not that they had the right to complain.

So they simply gave her some space. Well, sort of if they didn't count how they were creeping up on her. Other than that, they were still successful at making small conversations with every class that they shared with the diva. Fortunately, Rachel was conversing, though they could feel the reluctance from her.

Baby steps, right? It was better than nothing.

“That fucking self-centered brainless good for nothing asshole,” Santana muttered under her breath.

“It’s fine, Puck. We should have probably gotten her earlier anyway.”

"Want...bed...sleep..."

They all turned their heads on Rachel who now had her head buried on Quinn's neck. The Head Cheerio breathed deeply as Rachel's breath tingle her skin, remembering that morning that Rachel almost felt her up.

"I think it's best if we take her to bed," Brittany said, oblivious at the possible double meaning with what she just said, but the other three weren't as clueless as they awkwardly look at each other, Puck wiggling his eyebrows while Quinn and Santana just rolled their eyes.

"I'll carry her," Puck offered but Brittany stopped him.

"That's fine. I can carry her. You still have a party to host. We'll take care of Rachel."

Puck looked at them as if contemplating if he should entrust his Jewbabe to them, but their conversation two weeks ago made him stop thinking.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

_"Puckerman."_

_The football jock winced internally as soon as he heard the Queen Bitch's voice. He knew what was coming,_

_"Oh. Hey Q," he responded, looking over his shoulder to see Quinn, Santana and Brittany standing just behind him. He appeared nonchalant—though deep inside the presence of Sue's little devils was freaking him out—as he finished putting his shirt on. It seemed that the Unholy Trinity was making it a habit to just burst in to the men's locker room after football practice._

_"We need to talk."_

_"Sure. What's up?" Keep it cool, Puck. Keep it cool._

_"About Rachel..."_

_"Rachel didn't want me to say anything about it, okay?” Puck interrupted quickly, “I promised her. I just kept that promise because she threatened to kick my ass if I open my mouth. Not that I had any plans of telling anyone. Besides, it wasn't my secret to tell so you can't blame me for that. And you can't tell me that I didn't care about her well-being, because I do. This may sound crazy but that was the reason why I never stopped her from going to fi—that place."_

_Quinn and Santana arched their eyebrow while Brittany frowned._

_"You done now?" Santana asked and Puck nodded silently, crossing his arms in defense._

_"Good. Now, first of all, we're not here for that—"_

_Puck's eyebrows went up to his forehead and was about to say something but Santana held up a hand._

_"Not done yet Puckerman. As I was saying, we're here for a different reason though it's still about Rachel. Second, as much as we want to smack you in the head, we won't because you're right. We can't take keeping Rachel's secret against you."_

_Puck sighed in relief._

_"Because then Rachel’s dads would look bad since they knew about it too," Brittany piped in._

_Puck frowned, "So...you already know about the story behind it?"_

_"You mean there's actually a story behind it?" Quinn asked suspiciously, her eyes piercing as she stared at the boy who looked as if Coach Sylvester had just caught him peeping on the Cheerio's locker room. Again._

_"Umm...there's really nothing much to tell."_

_"Yeah? So I guess it wouldn't hurt if you tell us about it."_

_Puck shifted uncomfortably in his spot, his eyes going everywhere but the girls, "Uhh..."_

_"Puckerman," Santana warned, her eyes narrowing._

_The jock sighed before looking at the Cheerios, "I'm sorry. It's best if you just ask Rachel. It's her story to tell. I don't think she would appreciate it if I take her spot."_

_"Fine."_

_Puck did a double take and stared in disbelief at the Head Cheerio. That was easy, "Okay?"_

_"Anyway," Brittany started after a pause, "We kind of need your help."_

_"With what?" Puck asked reluctantly, noticing the shift on the girls' demeanor from confident to hesitant._

_"Well, it's about Rachel," Brittany said slowly, glancing at her girlfriends who were looking as uncomfortable as her, "W-we...want to..."_ be with her _, "to make amends with her and...we were hoping if you could help us?"_

_Puck stared. And continued staring while the gears in his head turned really, really slow, "I'm sorry. Did you just say you want to make up with Rach?"_

_The girls nodded._

_"Like, really, really?"_

_"Do we look like we're joking?" Santana snapped, "This is hard enough already for us—asking you to trust us with Rachel."_

_Again, the gears turned on his head and he smirked, "That sounded like asking for my blessing to like, I don't know, date my Jewbro or something," he chuckled._

_Well, yeah. That too. Someday. Hopefully._

_Quinn groaned, "This isn't a joke, Puck. Seriously. We could have just gone to Rachel straight," which they already did, by the way. That night at Santana's, remember? But Puck didn't have to know that, "and ignore the fact that you're acting like some guard dog around her. Give us some credit here."_

_No way. Quinn Fabray didn't just whine and ended it with a pout. Just...no._

_To their surprise, Puck's face turned serious and looked at each of them in the eyes, "Why?"_

_"Why what?" Brittany asked, confused._

_"Why are you doing this? I mean, yeah, Rachel's one of my best buddies and I want to protect her, but we all know that you know her far better than anyone else. So that goes without a saying that it will still be up to her no matter what."_

_"We know. But still, it would be nice if we could have your support," Quinn replied softly with sincerity in her eyes._

_"Look, we know we did a lot of shitty things to Rachel. Believe it or not, out of all our regrets, hurting her is on the top of our list."_

_"You're her best friend now," Brittany chimed in, "And us? We're just part of her past. But we like to change that. We know there's probably nothing we can do to earn her forgiveness but..."_

_"We'd like to try. We'll take our chances. We will probably spend the rest of our lives making it up to her and we won't even mind," Quinn stated with a gentle smile._

_Puck observed the girls in front of him. He couldn’t believe how they came there wearing confidence and then ended up looking so down and lost. At that moment, he had a flashback of those three girls, wearing smiles and being so carefree, that Rachel loved so much._

_For Rachel's sake, he really hoped he wasn't doing the wrong thing._

_"You know it's not going to be easy, right?"_

_Santana smirked, "You know we never backed down from a challenge."_

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"You can take her to one of the guest rooms upstairs. Make sure to lock it, okay?" Puck instructed.

The girls nodded and Brittany proceeded to pick Rachel up, bridal style, surprised at how light the girl was. Quinn and Santana walked in front, automatically clearing the path for the tall blonde as they made their way upstairs.

Santana opened the door for them, closing and locking it as soon as they were all inside. Brittany gently place Rachel on the bed, now unconscious. Quinn didn't wait any second to remove Rachel's shoes then her own heels before lying down beside the sleeping brunette. Copying Quinn's actions, Santana and Brittany made their way to the bed. Brittany lay down opposite of Quinn, Santana wrapping her arms around Brittany's waist from the back.

They were engulfed in silence, Rachel's soft snoring was the only sound that could be heard other than the loud music downstairs.

Quinn, propped on her elbow, played with Rachel's hair as she studied the brunette's face. There were still some purple bruising on her face but it was starting to fade now, her cuts just a mere light scar on her face. The scars won't even be visible unless they would look closer.

Brittany was lazily running her hand on Rachel's arm. Her hand was merely touching the brunette's skin but still, the tall Cheerio bask the feel of Rachel's soft skin against her fingertips, amused at how bronzed mixed with her milky ones.

Santana had the same position as Quinn, looking over Brittany's shoulder as she watched the interaction between her blondes and Rachel. She didn't do cheesy, but fuck, what she wouldn't do to keep this moment forever—all of them just enjoying each other's company in a comfortable silence. Of course, she already had a few moments like this with Quinn and Brittany but this time was different. Rachel was there. It may not be the way they wanted, but she was still there. With them. And that counts.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel woke up in a room that she was certain wasn't hers due to the lack of pinkness and Broadway posters. All she could see was white walls and a small window where the sun was passing through, blinding her. As soon as she regained full consciousness, she tried to open her eyes again. She was perplexed when she heard giggling and voices somewhere near her. She tried to listen carefully, trying to identify where exactly the sound was coming from. She turned her eyes over the bathroom, the door slightly ajar.

Still confused, she got up from the bed and approached the bathroom door carefully. She really shouldn’t be sneaking in to a bathroom especially if it was supposed to be occupied. But since she believed that she was alone in that room seeing as there was no evidence or whatsoever of anyone being there other than herself, curiosity got the best of her. She couldn’t be hearing voices, right?

Taking a deep breath, she gently pushed the door open.

Her eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped at what she saw.

Santana was in the middle of Brittany and Quinn. Brittany was facing Santana while Quinn had her hands on the Latina’s hips from the back. It shouldn’t be so awkward except for the fact that they were half naked and she was pretty sure she saw Santana and Brittany kissing while Quinn sucked on Santana’s neck.

What. The. Fuck.


	15. Chapter 14

"Oh my god! R-Rachel!" Brittany exclaimed, her eyes wide, forcefully pushing Santana away from her which caused the Latina to stumble against Quinn. Quinn and Santana whipped their heads towards the door and their mouths fell open when they saw Rachel standing there.

The four girls stood silently as they stared at each other, each wearing the same shocked expression on their faces, the atmosphere growing thick with tension.

"Rachel..." Quinn started, breaking the silence. She cautiously took a step forward, raising her arm as if trying to reach out to Rachel.

Rachel took one step back.

"We can explain..." Quinn continued as she took another step towards the diva.

Two steps back.

"Please, Rachel..." the blonde's voice shook with desperation and panic as Rachel continued to back away from them.

And the next thing Rachel knew, she was out of the room.

"Shit! Rachel! Wait!" Quinn called after the tiny brunette and ran after her.

"Fuck," Santana muttered under her breath and started to look for her clothes. Brittany had just put on her clothes when she grabbed Quinn's shirt and quickly followed the shorter blonde who just ran out of the room half naked.

Santana was right behind the two blondes when she noticed Rachel's jacket lying around. She quickly grabbed a hold of it before running after her girlfriends.

Rachel dodged unconscious bodies in the living room as she sprinted towards the door and out of the house. Once outside, she half walked, half jogged towards her bike without looking back. She reached for her keys but found her jeans pocket empty. She palmed her forehead when she realized that it was probably on her jacket which she obviously wasn’t wearing right now.

"Shit."

"Rachel!"

Rachel jumped when she felt a hand grabbed her arm and twirled her around. Her jaw dropped for the second time in the span of fifteen minutes as she was met with a sight of a still shirtless Quinn, her jeans slightly open.

"Rachel, please. Just hear us out. We ca—"

"Quinn! Are you insane? Are you planning on giving everyone a show?" Rachel reprimanded, her protective side showing as if she didn't just witness her three former best friends making out a few minutes ago. Without thinking, she quickly wrapped her arms around the blonde in an attempt to cover her almost bare torso when she noticed two men stopped by to blatantly ogle the blonde as if she's some piece of meat. Rachel threw them a glare to which the men backed away and turned in shame.

Quinn to let the diva drag her inside, now painfully aware that she did, in fact, just went out of the Puckerman’s yard half-naked. However, that didn’t stop her from feeling her heart melt from being wrapped around Rachel’s arms.

As soon as they entered the house, they came face to face with Brittany, followed by Santana and the tension was back.

Rachel quickly let go of Quinn as if she just got burned, ignoring the pout that the blonde sent her way. Quinn probably didn't even realize she was doing it as she took the shirt from Brittany and put it on.

Rachel wished she didn’t have to wake up so early in the morning. She wished she was hung over instead because she would definitely prefer to suffer under a major headache than be in this situation right now. Being in the same room as them, just standing there, was really awkward. She trained her eyes down, unable to meet the trio's eyes. She did notice her jacket on the Latina's hands, taking this opportunity to break the silence before they could venture on a conversation that Rachel wasn't sure she was ready for.

"Santana, can I please have my jacket?" Rachel asked as casually as she could, braving to meet the other brunette's eyes.

"No."

Rachel was taken aback at the sudden, but not rude, simple answer that she got. Her mouth opened but no words came out. She pressed her lips on a thin line, her brows furrowed and crossed her arms over her chest, "And why the hell not? It's mine!" She finished with a stomp.

Santana only shrugged, and to make her point, she slung the jacket over her shoulder.

Annoyed, Rachel huffed, narrowing her eyes at the Latina who defiantly stared back at her.

"Rachel," Brittany began, reaching for Rachel's hand only to draw back when she realized what she was doing. Instead, she settled on wringing her hands together, "I think we need to talk about this."

"Talk about what?" Rachel responded too quickly and winced internally when she realized it.

Yeah. Go play dumb Rachel. Maybe they would leave you alone.

"You know what," Santana replied, her voice quiet and uncertain.

"No, I really don't."

That's it Rachel. You're doing really well.

Santana groaned and rolled her eyes, "Are you really going to make me say it?"

"S," Quinn hissed, throwing the Latina a stern look as if to say 'be nice'.

Ignoring her two girlfriends, Brittany focused on the tiny diva, "Rachel, about earlier—"

"Is really none of my business, Brittany," Rachel interrupted, mentally patting her back for keeping her voice even and maintaining a poker face despite freaking out internally. She would reserve the freaking out part once she was home and locked up in her own room.

"You don't have to explain anything to me. If you're worried about me telling anyone, well, don't. It's not like anyone would believe me anyway. It's your words against mine," Rachel shrugged, trying to be as nonchalant as she could.

It wasn't her business. She shouldn't care. Then why won't the sinking feeling in her stomach go away? The girls were probably just worried she would open her mouth so they ran after her. Quinn had the most to lose since. No wonder she was the first to get to her.

With that in mind, the uneasy feeling in her stomach grew and her heart felt like it was being squeezed. Suddenly, it felt so hard to breathe and she tried to subtly take long, deep breaths without alerting the girls.

After a few seconds of silence—Rachel wondered if the trio felt half of the discomfort she was feeling now because the silence was just killing her—realizing that the girls wouldn't respond, she ceased the opportunity to step in front of Santana, causing the Latina to jump slightly.

Santana pictured all of the possible scenarios that could happen when Rachel found out about their relationship. She pictured Rachel screaming at them, accusing them, freaking out and sometimes, when she felt like being crazy since it's just what if's anyway, she even envisioned that they would suddenly profess their love for the diva and they would all be riding rainbow unicorns across the sky—okay, that was just so Brittany-ish. Not that she had any problem with that.

But this, this scenario wasn't one of them and it caught her off guard. And from the lack of response, she could tell Quinn and Brittany was just as surprised, if not confused. This scene where Rachel looked calm was just so wrong in so many levels.

Sure. Rachel ran away from them and for a moment, she thought one of her what if's was coming true and the tiny brunette would freak out. But what if Rachel ran away because she was just embarrassed? Or felt uncomfortable?

Santana was so lost in her thought that the sudden presence of the girl occupying all parts of her brain right now startled her, invading her personal space. Their eyes met for a brief second and Santana's breath hitched involuntarily. There was just something in Rachel's eyes that was so intense she couldn't seem to look away. Before she could react, the jacket over her shoulder was gone and Rachel was already starting for the door.

"Well," Rachel broke the silence as she hastily put her jacket on, her heart still beating wildly for the short staring contest she had with the other brunette. She didn't mean to do that. Like what her dads told her, her eyes never lie. If only people would look closer, they would see even her soul through it.

Unfortunately, other than her dads, these three girls were just as good as reading her through her eyes.

"I better go now," Rachel continued as she turned for the door, exiting the house without looking back. She could hear Quinn's muffled voice calling her name but she kept walking until she reached her bike. She couldn’t wait to get out of that place.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Brittany held on to Quinn's arm, halting her from running after the starlet, "Quinn, I think it's best if we give her some time."

"No, no, no. Something's not right," Quinn violently shook her head, doing her best to free herself from Brittany's tight grip.

"I think she's in shock, Q. Best if we let her be for now," Santana said quietly, still staring at the door that the diva had disappeared to. She now knew what she saw in those chocolate doe eyes. It was the same hurt she saw the day they broke Rachel for the first time.

Quinn stopped struggling and let herself be engulfed in the warm embrace of her blonde girlfriend. She leaned her forehead on Brittany's shoulder, her eyes shut tightly. How could they be so careless? How could they act like teenage boys when Rachel was just ten feet away from them? God. They were so stupid. Everything they had done to hide their relationship all gone to waste because they couldn't keep their hands to themselves. This wasn't how Quinn wanted for the diva to find out about them—not when everything were so delicate between them. They hadn't even proven themselves yet. She was scared to think about how this would affect their plans of making amends with Rachel.

 True, the tiny diva wasn’t as receptive with their approach and yes, there was still some hesitation and for someone who has a petite stature, Rachel sure had her walls built as high as the Excalibur. But really, who could blame her, right?

Brittany looked back and forth between Quinn and Santana. They had been standing by the door for a few minutes now since Rachel fled the scene. None of them had moved an inch yet. She looked up at the wall clock and groaned inside. It was only 7am and she couldn't believe how much drama had already happened. The three of them were shocked about the turn of events. Quinn wasn't crying but Brittany preferred if she was. Silent Quinn only meant that she was so lost in her thoughts and probably kicking herself for what happened. Santana was uncharacteristically quiet as well. There was a frown on her face and Brittany believed that her Latina girlfriend was probably trying to find out what the hell just happened.

If Brittany was being honest, though she didn't like how Rachel found out about them, she was somewhat relieved that it was already out in the open—for Rachel at least. Unlike her two girlfriends, she wanted to be completely open and honest with Rachel if they were to indulge with another ‘ _friendship_ ’ with her.

Rachel deserved to know.

And now that Rachel did, Brittany was still quite anxious about the outcome of all these. She had her fingers crossed though. Because despite Rachel's unexpected indifference, she knew the tiny brunette was just holding back. The outburst was yet to come and she hoped that they could be prepared enough to face it.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel appreciated the gust of wind that was touching her face. It was a breath of fresh air, exactly what she needed right now. She should feel guilty for forgetting her helmet at Puck's but she had always enjoyed her ride more if she wasn't wearing the darn thing despite the lack of safety. Plus, there's just no way she was getting back inside that house with the girls. Being in the same space as them had made her feel claustrophobic. She had to get away. She just hoped she wouldn't get caught for not wearing a helmet. Her dads would totally flip.

Instead of going straight home, she decided to go to her favorite spot on the north side of town. It was an overlooking cliff where she had a view of the city. She discovered it by accident one time while she was taking a ride with her bike last year and she would always find herself there when she wanted a quiet place to think.

Rachel carefully parked her bike under a big tree. She sat down, her back on the tree trunk, one knee bent where she rested her elbow. The ride going to that place had calmed her a bit. She wasn't as freaked out as she was twenty minutes ago. No, wait. She didn't freak out. That just sounded wrong for some reason. She was more like...surprised. Shocked. Gobsmacked. Like, ‘ _Holy shit. Never in a million years did I see that one coming_ ’ surprise. Her world was suddenly turned upside down, inside out (and just about every life-changing idioms there was) in a matter of minutes.

It felt so unreal. She didn't know if she should laugh her ass off at how ironic the situation was because here she was, openly gay and yet, she didn't— _neve_ r had girlfriend. Or burst into tears because her former best friends, who she thought was straight since forever and she had secretly liked, had turned out to be closeted lesbians. And the worst part? They seemed, from what Rachel witnessed, to be gay for each other. There was no better time than now that she wished she had a gaydar.

Cruel. Just cruel. Fate was probably having a field day right now.

She wasn't really sure what to feel. There was bitterness and jealousy and hurt. Because, what the hell? She had been ridiculed and bullied and humiliated for being who she was. She lost her best friends because they thought being around her would bring them down before they got the chance to be on top. And now? Rachel couldn’t believe she was dumped for going ‘against the norms’ only to find out that the girls and her had been floating in the same boat all this time. And yet, they had everything while she was left to fend for herself. How was that fair?

Though there was no confirmation what it was she really saw in Puck's bathroom, though based on how the girls reacted afterwards, Rachel was pretty sure there was something there. Her instinct said so. She wasn't that naive. She just wasn't sure if she's ready to know whatever that 'something' was. Thinking about it was one thing; hearing about it directly from the girls was a whole different story.

Rachel shook her head. It was ridiculous how much it was affecting her right now. She could practically hear her heart thudding against her chest with all the pent up emotions that were suddenly resurfacing from the sudden onslaught of negative thoughts in her brain. For the past two years, she tried to hold back her feelings because she didn’t want the girls to see her pain. She didn’t want them to see her cry. She wanted to let them know that she could be strong and was able to stand on her own feet. She refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her crack and fight back because fighting back would only give them more reasons to taunt her, making things worse.

She wanted to stop caring. She really did. It was beginning to mess with her mind and remembered things that she tried so hard to bury in the deepest part of her brain. She couldn’t forget but she really didn’t want to think about it either.

Deciding to let her neurons take a rest, she stood up, mounted her bike and began the ride home.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Practice was once again torture for the Cheerios. Quinn and Santana did nothing but bark orders and threw insults from left to right. Even Brittany was getting frustrated teaching the freshmen their new routine. By the end of practice, the girls were either passed out or bawling their eyes out. Coach Sylvester was actually impressed.

After taking showers, the girls changed in to civilian clothes, exit the school, got in to Quinn’s Audi and began the silent ride going to the Secret House where the cheerleaders and jocks and most of the popular kids hangout every Saturday. It was an old, huge house which had been passed down from one Head Bitch to another, with the ‘supervision’ of Sue Sylvester. Other than McKinley High, this was one other place where the Unholy Trinity was considered royalty. The house had a swimming pool, a game room, a pool table, wall climbing and other activities. The back of the house was near the woods where the girls would run for hours—under Sylvester’s order—after their monthly mandatory sleepover.

The twenty minute car ride was filled with silence. The trio hadn’t spoken much to each other since they left Puck’s house, lost with their own thoughts. Quinn was still shocked and worried and frustrated with herself for being too careless and losing control over the situation. Santana kept on replaying in her mind the look on Rachel’s eyes when their eyes met. Brittany was trying to make sense of everything that was happening and how they could broach the issue without her girlfriends exploding. This was, by far, the greatest challenge they had to face other than the time when they were still struggling in accepting their feelings for each other. This wasn’t how Rachel was supposed to find out. Rachel freaking out was better than the calm Rachel they had encountered this morning. Now they had no idea what was going on in Rachel’s head and it was quite unsettling.

Quinn parked the car on her designated spot in front of the house. The trio stepped out and walked straight towards a big, brown, old door that creaked once they opened it. Eyes turned to them and like how they walked on the halls of McKinley, they kept their heads up, eyes straight as they made their way on the spiral stairs leading to the rooms. Only to be stopped by Finn.

“Quinn.”

“What did I tell you about going near me?” Quinn sneered but didn’t wait for a reply as she shoved him out of the way.

“Oh come on, Quinn!” Finn whined as he grabbed the blonde’s arm, “Stop acting like the stuck up bi—person,” he hesitated when Quinn gave her the _look._

 “Get your filthy paws off her, you oaf!” Santana pushed Finn on his chest hard causing him to lose his grip on Quinn. She stood in front of Quinn in defense mode, Brittany right beside her.

“She didn’t want anything to do with you anymore, Hudson. She made that clear last night,” Brittany said calmly, but her voice cold, “I’m sure you aren’t that dumb to _not_ get it.”

Finn scoffed, “It’s funny hearing that from you, _Pierce_. You aren’t that smart either.”

“Watch it, Finn. You do _not_ want a repeat of last night because I would be more than happy to do it again,” Quinn threatened, her voice dangerously low.

There was a long pause as the other occupants of the room moved their eyes back and forth between the Cheerios and the quarterback as they silently glaring at each other.

“Whatever,” Finn muttered, flailing his arms before walking away to his previous position on the couch with his teammates.

Santana rolled her eyes, “Idiot,” she muttered under her breath. The two blondes were already walking away when she turned to everyone in the room, “What are you people still staring at? Move along. Nothing to see here,” before following her two girlfriends upstairs.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

“Oh my God! What happened here?” Rachel shrieked as she entered her room. Her clothes were thrown everywhere and there were a couple of trash bags on the floor.

“Oh, you’re home,” came a muffled voice behind the diva.

Rachel jumped in surprise, alert, clenching her fists in impulse and ready to defend herself against whoever that had entered and trashed her room. She relaxed when Alex’s head popped out of her closet, “Alexandra! What the hell did you do to my room?”

Alex rolled her eyes and moved her head back in the closet, “It’s fine, Rach. Relax. I have your dads’ permission.”

“My dads? But this is my room! And that’s my closet! And these are my clothes!” Rachel actually stomped her foot, looking at her friend incredulously.

“Mmhh,” Alex responded as if she didn’t hear anything, “How was the party?”

Rachel straightened, remembering what happened that morning. Suddenly, Alex raiding her wardrobe wasn’t such a big deal anymore.  With a heavy sigh, she dragged her feet towards the bed and sprawled on it, ignoring her cluttered clothes.

Sensing the sullen mood of her friend, Alex chuckled, “Yeah. I know. Finn is such a douchebag. And I haven’t even met him yet. I don’t think I ever want to. Like, at all. I never thought I’d say this—and I would totally deny it if anybody asked—but I’m just glad the girls got to you before anything bad happened. What was he thinking doing that to you, anyway?”

Alex waited for the diva’s response but she was met with silence, “Rach?” she moved away from the closet to check if her friend had fallen asleep only to be met with a confused brunette.

“What are you talking about?”

Alex raised an amused eyebrow, “Nobody told you?”

“Told me about what?”

“Oh boy,” Alex chuckled.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

The girls stayed on their own private place in the house. It was a big room that looked almost like an office. There was a desk on the far side where an iMac was sitting at the top. There was a wide leather couch somewhere in the middle and a lazy boy just beside it. A 55” LED television was screwed on the wall with DVD set and speakers. There was a movie playing but none of them were paying attention. Quinn was on the mini balcony with a faraway look in her eyes. Santana was slumped on the lazy boy, pretending to be busy with her phone while Brittany was sprawled on the couch with her eyes closed.

They used to enjoy all the perks of being at the top. But lately, all of it seemed so insignificant and just...boring.

The silence was broken when Quinn roughly pulled the sliding door open from the balcony and entered the room, startling her girlfriends.

“Q, what’s up?” Santana stood up when she noticed the look on Quinn’s face. It was a mixed of surprised, anxiety and confusion.

“Rachel,” Quinn whispered as if she’s afraid to say the diva’s name, “She’s here.”

“What?” Brittany sat up from the couch, suddenly alert, “Rachel’s here? Why?”

“I don’t know,” Quinn shrugged.

“Do you think she’s here to…talk? About...you know,” suddenly the idea of talking about _it_ made Santana nervous.

Before any of them could say anything, a loud crashing sound was heard followed by people yelling. The trio looked at each other, their eyes wide, before hurrying off downstairs.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

“Aahhh!”

“Get off him, Berry!”

“Hey! Let go of her!”

“What the hell, Puckerman!”

“Come on guys! Knock it off! Ooff!”

“What the hell is going on here?!” Quinn yelled from upstairs as the three of them watched the chaos that was happening in the living room. Her jaw dropped when she noticed Rachel straddling Finn on the ground, delivering punches from left to right, Finn shielding his face with both arms. Puck was wrestling with Karofsky while Azimio was trying to pull them apart. Sam was clutching a bleeding nose while the rest of the jocks had their phones out and filming the riot. The other Cheerios were all huddled in one corner, their eyes wide and fearful.

“Hey! Break it up! Stop!” Brittany yelled as she ran downstairs, followed by Santana and Quinn.

“Somebody do something! Damn it!” Santana grabbed the jock that was nearest to her by the collar, “Why aren’t you doing anything?!”

“I-I...”

“Stop them!” Santana screamed on his face before throwing him in the middle of the ruckus, “You too! And you!” she proceeded to point and glare at the jocks that were just standing there like an idiot, “Fucking pussies! Stop standing there and do something!”

After much effort and reluctance and struggle, Puck and Rachel was standing on one side, lips cut and bruises on their faces, their arms crossed over their chests. On the other side were Finn, Sam, Karofsky and the rest of the jocks. In the middle, acting as buffer, was the Unholy Trinity.

“Okay. What the fuck happened?” Santana asked, glancing between the two sides.

“Freaking Berry just came here and attacked me!”

“You deserve it for what you did to me last night, you jerk!”

“You’re fine, right? What are you so mad for?”

“The only reason I’m ‘fine’ is because somebody stopped you! The fact that you drugged me was enough reason to beat you up! Huh. What’s the matter, Hudson? Too chicken to handle me when I’m conscious?” Rachel scoffed.

“Shut up, freak!”

“Oohh! Is that the best you’ve got? Was that supposed to hurt me?” Rachel taunted and readied herself when Finn began to launch himself towards her.

“Stop it!” Brittany extended her arms on her side, her palms touching Finn’s and Rachel’s chest as she tried to stop them from getting on each other’s throats again, “Everybody just calm down!”

“Don’t touch me!” Finn snapped, slapping Brittany’s hand away from him with force that the tall blonde winced.

“Hey dude! That’s my girlfriend!” Sam pushed the quarterback from the side. Finn pushed him back and before it started another riot, Quinn stood in the middle of them while Brittany pulled Sam back.

“Seriously, guys, knock it off!” Quinn scowled at them, “Before I decided to report this to Coach! Once she finds out about this, I’m pretty sure your fat asses won’t be able to step foot in this house again. _Ever_. And as much as I love that idea, she wouldn’t be happy to know that _we_ let it happen which means, she’ll get _our_ asses too. And believe me, you _don’t_ what that to happen. Got it?” She looked at each of the jocks, her HBIC mode on. The jocks silently nodded, not able to meet the Head Cheerio’s eyes.

“Good,” Santana took over, “Just to make things clear, this _never_ happened. Rachel was never here and I don’t care what crappy stories you’ll make up about what happened to you, but it definitely didn’t happen here. Q, Britt and I certainly don’t want to hear anything about this in school or anywhere else. Do. you. _understand_?”

There were a couple of nods and ‘yeses’ from the crowd.

“Well then, why the hell are you still standing there? Go! Get off our faces! Shoo!”

The crowd dispersed and returned to their previous positions except for Puck who remained standing beside Rachel.

“You good, Jewbabe?”

“I’m good, Noah. Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

“Everything you said isn’t really applicable to me, you know,” Rachel said flatly, darting her eyes to the girls before starting her way towards the door.

“Rachel, wait.”

Rachel turned over her shoulder to look at Quinn. She didn’t say a word though, just stared at the girls with expectant eyes.

“Umm...maybe we should get that cleaned up. We have first aid kit upstairs,” Quinn said hesitantly, her voice turning soft from the cold, stern one just moments ago as she pertain on Rachel’s injuries.

Rachel shook her head and with a voice void of any emotion, “It’s fine Quinn. I think Finn needs that first aid kit more than I do. Besides, I’m used to caring for my injuries _alone_. Thanks for the concern though. And I’m sorry for causing trouble here,” she turned around and opened the door. Before she stepped out, she stopped and without looking back, “And...thank you...for last night,” with that, Rachel was out the door and on to her bike.

The trio watched with tightness in their hearts as Rachel walked away from them. For the second time that day.


	16. Chapter 15

"Holy fuck."

"Language."

"I can't fucking believe it."

Eye roll. "I know."

"That's just...wow. I can't even find the words."

"I know."

"But they kind of left you because of that."

"I know."

"And now..."

"Mmhhh..."

"Fucking hypocrites."

"Hey. Watch it."

"It's true. And it's even worse. The three of them? Together? Really? I mean, at least you've always been single."

"Ugh. Really, Al?"

"How does that make you feel?"

Rachel sighed. She had told Alex about the girls once she got home after beating the crap out of Finn two days ago. However, it seemed like the other brunette was far from letting it go.

It was already Monday. Alex spent the weekends with her and had never stopped bugging her about it. She woke up that morning to see her friend already preparing breakfast. Rachel had enjoyed the silence until Alex spoke up. She wasn't really surprised when the barista started their morning with a 'holy fuck.' Alex was just as shocked as she probably was, if not more.

"I'm not really sure," Rachel replied. She really wasn't. Since Saturday, her emotions had been all over the place. She tossed and turned in her bed for two nights now. What was she supposed to feel? She was angry and sad and feeling pathetic. But most of all, she was confused out of her wit. The bitterness that she had let bottled up for so long finally coming out of the surface and it was in full force. She hated it. But did that still matter now? It wouldn't really make much of a difference. And after so long, she wasn't really sure if the girls would even care. Why would they anyway?

But then again, the way the girls had acted around her these past few weeks was what's making her confuse as hell. They had been nice to her. Actually, they had gone out of their way to be nice to her. And they apologized and even asked for reconciliation. 

Was it also their way of saying 'sorry for abandoning you for being gay when we are just as gay as you are'?

Rachel rolled her eyes at her line of thought. However, it wasn't really far from reality. Not after what she had witnessed. And with that realization, she dreaded seeing the girls because, really, she didn't think she could meet their eyes without feeling awkward and embarrassed and just plain hateful. She didn't know she was actually capable of hating them as much as she did now.

And it sucked because she knew that no matter how mad she was right now, she could never hate them forever. That's just not possible.

"Well, I still think it's hot."

Rachel groaned. She couldn't believe how much Alex reminded her of Puck sometimes.

Hearing the diva, Alex raised her hands in defense, “Hey. Don’t get me wrong. I still don’t like them but it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate them like _that_. If you know what I mean,” she said, wiggling her brows with a smirk on her lips.

Ugh. That’s just so...Puck-ish.

"I'm going to go take a shower and get ready for school." Rachel stood up and left the kitchen.

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

 

"Alexandra Katherine Fields!!!"

Alex couldn't help but laugh from across the guest room at that. She had been looking forward to this since Saturday and stayed until today to make sure she could see Rachel personally. With an amused smile, she walked out of the room towards the diva's.

"Yes, Rach?" Alex asked, innocence lacing her voice with a bat of her eyelashes to make it more effective. She bit her inner cheek to keep herself from laughing at the horrified and panicky look on her friend's face.

"How—where—what happened to my clothes?" Rachel shrieked as she stared at the barista, not really sure if she should be mad or just confused. She hadn't visited her closet since Friday since most of her house clothes were located in the other drawer. Because of all the commotion going on in her mind, she had totally forgotten about the small fact that Alex had raided her closet the other day, especially after finding her room clean once she got home.

"You call those... _things_ , clothes? Really, Rachel?" Alex sighed, looking at her friend incredulously. "I was hoping you'd one day wake up and throw them away yourselves."

"You threw them away??" Rachel asked, her voice sounding more like a whine than angry. "But why? I told you why I wear those… _things_."

Alex rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest with a frown, "Come on, Rach. When are you going to put a stop to that? It's your third year in high school. You will be graduating soon. Do you want your memories in high school full of slushies hitting your face and people kicking your ass??"

"Of course not! I—"

"But that's what you're doing! You're letting them step on you like some piece of trash! What the fuck is the matter with you?? You are such a fucking coward! Weak!"

"Shut up!"

"Seriously. You used to be in a fight club! You have a reputation for kicking ass! And you can't even defend yourself against a bunch of high school kids?! That's bullshit!"

Rachel was now fuming, her lips pressed in a thin line, her nose flaring, her fists clenched on her sides.

"No wonder you can't get a girl to like you. You can't even stand up for yourself in school! How are those idiots going to respect you??"

"Stop!"

"What about Quinn? And Santana? And Brittany? Are you going to just let them do that to you? They were supposed to be your friends!"

"Enough already!"

"Don't be such a chicken and grow a pair already!"

"Fine! Fine! I will!"

"That's the spirit!"

"In fact, I will go to that school, march down those halls with my head high like I could care less with that stupid hierarchy!"

"Yeah!"

"And then I will show those girls what they're missing!"

"Show 'em!"

"And then I will crush that slushie machine and throw it in the football field in front of those stupid jocks and bitchy cheerleaders!"

"Whoa."

"And then if someone tries to get in my way, I will punch them in the face, break every bone in their body and stuffed them in the closet to rot!"

"..."

The two brunettes looked at each other in silence. Alex's eyebrows rose to her hairline, her eyes wide and unblinking. Rachel was breathing hard from her sudden outburst.

"Well, that was...interesting. Violent but interesting. I’m quite impressed." Alex commented, her face breaking into a grin.

"Are you happy now?" Rachel deadpanned, her arms crossed.

"Ecstatic. Now try on those real clothes. I picked them especially for you."

"You're insufferable."

"You love me. And you're welcome, honey," Alex gave the diva a wink before leaving the room.

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

The Unholy Trinity had just finished their daily routine of marching down the halls to remind everybody why they were at the top. And as they passed by Rachel's locker, they were quite surprised that the singer wasn't there yet like she usually was. Quinn intended to wait for the diva to arrive. She wasn’t surprised when her two girlfriends silently stayed as well. They all have the same intention after al.

Quinn shuffled nervously on her locker, holding her book tightly against her chest. Santana was standing on her right, leaning casually against the metal while Brittany was busily ruffling inside her own locker.

The Head Cheerio could see right through them. Santana may look cool on the outside, but the blonde knew she was just as nervous as she was by the way her eyes kept on shifting from her nails to the entrance of the school. Brittany seemed to be as anxious as she opened her locker for the fifth time only to close it again, empty handed.

They had been restless since Saturday. Quinn had argued with her girlfriends because she wanted to visit Rachel before today. She was desperate for the diva to hear her out but Santana and Brittany wouldn't let her, afraid that it might only trigger the diva more.

Their attention was caught when the hallway was filled with silent whispers, the crowd staring at the school double door entrance. The trio followed the eyes of the crowd and what they saw had their jaw dropping.

Down the hallway was Rachel Berry—in a black wife beater covered by a leather jacket paired with ripped jeans and boots. Her hand was holding the strap of her messenger bag while the other was clutching on her helmet. Her hair wasn't in its usual straight style and her bangs were gone. Instead, there were long soft curls at the end of her hair. Her eyeliner was darker than usual, her makeup lighter, making her look mature and just gorgeous. The diva seemed to not give a care that everyone was gaping at her as she walked towards her locker, her eyes forward, and chin up.

"Jesus fucking Christ."

Quinn didn't even bother to chastise her Latina girlfriend for using the Lord's name in vain as she was too busy gawking at the sexy brunette that just passed by them without even a glance in their direction.

It wasn't about the clothes since they had seen Rachel without the ridiculously short skirt and argyle sweaters before.

But Jesus, the girl was radiating confidence all over the place that could challenge their own, the Unholy Trinity.

And they didn't even mind. Not at all. In fact, they found it hot. Like, worth drooling hot. And that was exactly what they were doing now—openly gawking and drooling at Rachel freaking Berry, right in front of everyone. And for once, they didn't find themselves caring at all.

"Hey Berry!"

An angry voice called out from the far end of the hallway that sounded a lot like Finn Hudson, causing for the Rachel-induced-daze to falter and the attention of the crowd turned to Finn's direction.

Quinn groaned and rolled her eyes as she watched her ex-boyfriend, flanked by Azimio and Karofsky, each holding a slushie, marched towards Rachel who was pointedly ignoring the oaf, keeping her head inside her locker. From her sides, she could feel Santana and Brittany stiffened.

As the three jocks neared the tiny brunette, Quinn attempted to step forward to stop them but she froze on her spot when Karofsky somehow lost his balance, causing him to spill his slushie on Finn's back.

"Dude! What the hell?!"

"Sorry man! This bitch pushed me!" Karofsky exclaimed as he pointed to the brunette behind him who was leaning on a locker, looking bored as she inspected her nails.

The unknown brunette scoffed, "Pleas. Don't be such a baby. You were about to throw a slushie at someone. I just tripped you. What are you whining about?"

"Is that..." Brittany trailed off as she watched the scene in front.

"Alex, don't pick a fight on your first day. Your parents had gone through a lot of trouble for you to be able to enroll in the middle of the semester. Please refrain from getting expelled and put their efforts in vain. This is your final year so I would appreciate it if you would behave yourself. At least until the end of the year."

"Yes, mother." Alex muttered, the corner of her lips twitching upward before pushing herself off the locker.

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Come now. I'll walk you to your first class...And probably to all of your classes to make sure you attend them," she turned on her heels and began walking towards the classroom, a grumbling Alex right behind her.

"Hey! You can't ignore us like that!" Finn snapped to the two brunette's direction but they kept walking without looking back.

"They just did, you idiot." Quinn muttered, sending the tall jock a glare, her HBIC face on.

"Congratulations Finnept. Thanks to your amazing leadership, you just successfully made a fool of yourselves in front of the whole school. Hooray." Santana commented, her voice filled with sarcasm, her smile taunting as she mockingly clapped.

Finn fumed, his face red with anger and embarrassment. "Shut up you little sl—"

"Ah. Ah. Ah," Brittany chastised, waving her index finger in front of Finn, "Do you want to get slapped again, Hudson?"

"Shut up bi—"

"I will slap you again, Finn!" Quinn snapped, "Don't push it. I'll probably do worse than that after what you did to Rachel."

"Why are you on her side all of a sudden?! You never cared for her before! She's a homosexual freak and she's going to hell with her gay dads!"

SPLASH!

Gasps were heard from the crowd followed by a deafening silence.

Santana and Quinn gaped at Brittany who had grabbed Azimio's cup in a flash and threw it against Finn.

"You homophobic, narrow-minded, good for nothing, son of a bitch. It's really sad that people like you exist in this world." Brittany seethed, her voice low, filled with coldness. Without waiting for a reply, she turned her back and walked away.

"Better watch your back, Hudson." Santana warned before running after her girlfriend.

Quinn stepped forward towards Finn, their body only inches apart as she fixed him the coldest, menacing glare she could muster. "If you think I would ever get back to you, you're delusional." A stab on his chest. "I don't want you getting near me again. I don't even want to see you. Better stay out of my way, Finn." Quinn stepped closer to the jock and whispered, "Because I will hurt you."

Finn faltered backward, his back hitting the lockers. He swallowed visibly as he cowered underneath the intense glare he was receiving from the Head Cheerio despite his huge height advantage. He released his breath once Quinn stepped out of his personal space, his body sagged when the Cheerio began to walk away.

"Oh," Quinn stopped and glanced over her shoulder, smiling sweetly as Finn stiffened, "And stay away from Rachel. We made her off limits, remember? Don't make me remind you again, Finn."

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

"Of all the schools in Ohio, why does she have to come in McKinley?" Santana grumbled, stabbing her salad with a fork with a somber look on her face.

"To keep Rachel close, I suppose." Quinn answered, pursing her lips in annoyance as she not so subtly glare at the table on the corner of the cafeteria where the Gleeks were seated at. Alex seemed to have had charmed them already. Quinn couldn't help but narrow her eyes when she saw Alex whispered to Rachel's ear, making the diva laugh.

"And to keep an eye on Rachel," Brittany said as she popped a grape in her mouth.

"That too," Quinn muttered while Santana rolled her eyes.

 "...And probably to make sure we don't get near her," the tall blonde added, her lips sporting a pout, "I mean...they're really close so I guess it's normal for Alex to be protective of Rachel."

Quinn and Santana visibly sagged. Because, yeah, it sucked that they were considered a danger to the tiny brunette. And it sucked even more that there was no one else to blame but themselves.

"This fucking sucks. Rachel hates us even more now."

"I know."

"Come on guys. How are we going to have Rachel back if we'll just mope around and feel bad about what happened? I know things look really messed up right now...and we have probably consumed all of Rachel's kindness and not deserve to be forgiven because we treat her so bad for so long—"

"Wow. That's really encouraging, B," Quinn deadpanned.

"— _But_...it's not too late," she paused, her face thoughtful, “I think. Our chances of getting Rachel are probably close to none but...are we just going to give up like that? Isn't Rachel worth more than that? I mean, I don't know if you've realized it but we haven't really done much since that night at Santana's."

Santana and Quinn were silent as they wondered what they had already done for the diva and sighed when they realized that Brittany was right. They had done almost nothing to redeem themselves and yet, here they were moping and complaining about how much the situation sucked for them.

"You're right, Britt," Quinn nodded with determination in her eyes, "It's time for us to really suck it up and do something really worth it for Rachel."

Santana shook her head in agreement, a smirk on her lips while Brittany smiled in excitement.

"So," Santana drawled, "where do we start then?"

Their silence was disrupted with another round of loud laughter coming from the Gleek's table, glaring as they saw Alex talking animatedly with the group who seemed to be caught victim under the barista's charm.

And then Quinn grinned, a glint in her hazel eyes, "I think I have an idea exactly where to start."

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Mr. Schuester was in his office, grinning goofily as he typed a cheesy message to Ms. Pillsbury when the three top cheerleaders barged in his office without knocking.

"We want to audition."

Mr. Schue stared at the Head Cheerio with his mouth open, his phone forgotten. "Sorry?"

"We want to audition," Santana repeated, with a tone that said 'duh'.

"For Glee!" Brittany added, bouncing on her feet as she excitedly clapped her hands.

"Really?" Mr. Schue asked, his wide in disbelief.

Quinn smiled sweetly, "See you in Glee, Mr. Schue."

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel walked towards the choir room with Alex, Kurt and Tina, laughing at a joke that Alex had said. But her laughter died down, her face showing complete shock which quickly morphed in to indifference as she stared at the additional occupants in the room. Sitting there, quietly talking to themselves were Quinn, Santana and Brittany. They stopped talking once their eyes turned to Rachel.

Brittany offered a small hesitant smile while Quinn and Santana just stared back, their HBIC mask on—the mask that Rachel had no problem ripping off, seeing through the facade that the girls were trying to put on. She could see the nervousness and discomfort from Quinn's subtle playing of her skirt with her fingers, to Santana's clenched fists on her sides to Brittany's shy smile. Rachel could see all of it. And it felt good.

It's not like every day you could make the great Unholy Trinity squirm no matter how subtle it may be in front of other people. From the way they were looking at her, Rachel knew that it was her that's causing them to be that way.

Oh, how the tables had turned.

Not wanting to be impolite while ignoring the wild beating of her heart and the excitement that came along with the idea that the trio might be there to join the club—that she really didn't want to feel, by the way—she had offered a slight, barely there, stiff nod of her head to acknowledge the presence of the three Cheerios who was still staring at her before walking further inside the room. The last thing she wanted was to make it obvious just how much she was affected by them.

She sat beside Puck who winked at her when she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. Alex sat beside her, placing a comforting hand on her lap, aware of how tensed she had become while the rest of the club was just as oblivious at the sudden tension.

Rachel was doing her best not to look. She really did. But it was difficult when they were right there. She could practically feel their eyes on her. She didn’t want to assume but she had always trusted her sixth sense. They were looking at her. And she got her confirmation when she tried to steal a glance only to be caught by Quinn who was just doing the same thing. Rachel quickly looked away, doing her best to stop the burning feeling on her cheeks.

Must. Not. Look.

Rachel told herself that like a mantra. She tried to distract herself by making random conversation with the other Gleeks except they were too busy formulating different hypothesis on why the meanest, bitchiest girls that had ever walked on McKinley were now sitting in the same room and breathing the same air as them. Rachel rolled her eyes with a groan and crossed her arms. She didn’t miss the amused smile playing on Alex’s lips.

“I’d appreciate it if you would at least share as to what you are smiling about.”

The smile turned to a smirk as Alex turned her eyes on the diva and shrugged, “It’s just funny how you are trying so hard not to be bothered by them. I bet its killing you not to be able to directly walk to them and ask them as to why they are here.”

“Shut up.”

Just then the door slammed open, revealing a grumpy Finn. He stopped on his tracks as he noticed the additional trio in the room, the reason why his shirt was covered with red, purple and blue stain. He had been a target for the whole day that he had run out of a change of shirt. “What are you doing here?” he asked, spite in his voice.

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Quinn replied with the same venom as him.

“I bet Coach Sylvester sent you here to destroy our club,” Finn accused, pointing a finger at the Cheerios. “I mean, why else would you want to risk being seen with these losers—”

“Hey!”

“—unless you have something to gain. That’s all you’re good at any way. Ruin things.”

The room was engulfed with an awkward silence filled with tension. None of the kids moved despite the fact that their teammate had just insulted them. They were far too curious as to how the Cheerios would react at the accusations and to finally know the reason as to why the top bitches had decided to show up all of a sudden.

“We don’t need to explain anything to any of you,” Santana began, her voice surprisingly calm, “But for the sake of clearing things up, we had been planning to join the club a while back. It was just postponed due to some...circumstances that we couldn’t avoid.”

Rachel definitely caught how the Latina had side-eyed her at the mention of ‘circumstances’.

“I’m sure Rachel mentioned that at one of your meetings before. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to come to our supposed-to-be-audition that day,” Brittany explained, “And things got a bit complicated and we were too preoccupied with some stuff that it had taken us this long to come.”

Another side-eye glance at Rachel, this time from the tall blonde.

“And so now, here we are. Ready to join the club. Rachel could be very persuasive.”

“You mean annoying.” Finn grumbled.

“Shut your face, Giant,” Santana spat, surprising everyone in the room.

Rachel didn’t want to assume that Santana was defending her but she couldn’t ignore how her heart soared from that and as much as she didn’t want to believe that she was the reason the girls joined, she could still feel the warmth spread through her body. She tried to maintain passive though because, well, she was supposed to hate them.

From the corner of her eyes, Rachel could see the Cheerios standing and gathering their bags before walking towards the direction of the exit. The diva frowned, pressing her lips together as she tried her best to keep a poker face, ignoring the dropping of her heart as she watched the girls disappear out of the door, without looking back.

“What the hell was that?” Kurt voiced out everyone’s thought.

There was a couple of murmurs, Mercedes and Kurt taking the lead as different assumptions were thrown here and there as to why the Cheerios broke their own social rules and actually stepped in to the forbidden world of loserdome. And why they had just up and leave all of a sudden.

“You think they really plan on joining Glee? Rachel?” Kurt asked, bothered and curious at the diva’s silence.

“I don’t know. Why are you asking me?”

“Well, they did say it was you who ‘encouraged’ them to join,” Mercedes joined in.

Rachel shrugged, ignoring how Mercedes gave emphasis on the word encourage as if she wasn’t capable of doing that without annoying the hell out of people. “I’m not really sure. As you all know, we’re not really the best of friends to know how or what they are thinking.” She really tried not to show her bitterness. She really did.

But the snort coming from Alex seemed to tell her how much she had failed at that.

Mr. Schue entered the room, clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Guys! I have great news! We finally have enough members to join the competition!”

Somehow, Rachel had no idea why she was still having a hard time believing that despite what happened earlier. “But Mr. Schue, we only have one new member, Alex, who is yet to audition,” Rachel said then turned to her friend, “Not that I have doubts,” then went back to Mr. Schue, “That means we still need two more in order for us to compete at Regionals.”

Mr. Schue grinned, “Actually, not only are we filling up those two slots, but we’ll also be gaining an extra member!”

Before any more questions could be fired up, the Unholy Trinity entered the room. Gone was the Cheerios uniform, replaced with casual clothes, their hair free from their usual tight ponytail. The other Glee kids didn’t have the problem to show their shock while Rachel only managed to take a deep breath in an attempt to calm her beating heart.

No. She wasn’t excited. She wasn’t feeling giddy. She wasn’t happy to see them here because seeing them standing in front and ready to perform had sealed it. They were joining the club.

No. No. No. Just...Ugh. She had to bite the inside of her cheeks to stop the mega watt smile that was threatening to come out.

“Guys, let’s give a round of applause for the Unholy Trinity!”

Rachel still couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Yes, she had tried so many times to persuade the girls to join the club—no pun intended— as she believed that their talent was more than just shaking pompoms while shouting encouraging words to a team that never really wins. Granted, they were champions in the cheering field. But still.

She had tried so many times and that one time that they agreed, they didn’t even show up. Rachel still couldn’t forget how embarrassed she was that the club didn’t stop teasing her for about a week. It was then that she decided to stop altogether. She stopped hoping. She stopped expecting that one of these days, the girls would decide to step foot in to the choir room like they own the place and announce their interest in joining the club with their head high, hands on their hips as if screaming to give your attention to them while they talk.

And nowthat things were twice as complicated and awkward, they decided to step in to her world. Why did it have to be _now_? Now that she wanted to stop caring? To actually _try_ to stop _feeling_ for them. To start getting them out of her system.

It was funny how ironic things were. Except, she couldn’t find herself laughing. At all.

The girls’ change of clothes made her feel nostalgic. It’s been a while since she had seen them off of their uniform in school. It made her think about their freshmen year as the four of them stepped foot on the halls of McKinley for the first time _together_.

Before the social ladder tore them apart.

The trio turned their backs from their audience. As the music began, the girls began to move their hips with the tune, turning around as Quinn’s voice rang through the room, snapping Rachel back to reality.

_Oh oh oh... Oh oh oh oh oh..._

_I've been crying' (Oh oh)_

_Cause I'm lonely (For you)_

_Smiles have all turned (To tears)_

_But tears won't wash away the fears (Oh oh)_

The trio smiled as they saw the nods of approval from the other Gleeks although it wasn’t their approval they were aiming for. They searched the audience and their eyes fell on one tiny diva who seemed so nonchalant about everything. The three shared a meaningful look but continued to prove themselves. They just had to step it up a bit.

 

_That you're never ever gonna return (Eh eh eh eh eh)_

_To ease the fire that within me burns (Eh eh eh eh eh)_

_It keeps me (Crying baby for you)_

_Keeps me (Sighin' baby for you)_

 

Quinn took a step forward, her hips swaying as she locked eyes with Rachel, making sure to maintain the eye contact as they sang the lyrics.

 

_So won't you hurry?_

_Come on boy, see about me (Come see about me)_

_See about you baby (Come see about me)_

_I've given up my friends just (For you)_

_My friends are gone and you (Have too)_

_No peace shall I find (Oh oh)_

_Until you come back And be mine (Oh oh)_

 

Rachel sat up straight, her body rigid as she shifted her eyes from left to right. Was it just her? Or was this a bit awkward with all the eyeing that the girls were doing as they perform their number? Rachel looked around and most of the members seemed to be oblivious, simply enjoying the show.

Except maybe for Alex who Rachel could feel rolling her eyes.

Rachel couldn't blame her. Heck, even she was confused. What the hell was going on? She wasn't even sure if the trio were actually looking at her. She was sat at the middle front after all. But then again, she had met with Quinn's eyes more than twice and when she tried to look away, she was met by either Brittany's or Santana's who was just giving her the same look as the Head Cheerio.

...It was as if they were singing _to_ her.

Just...what the hell?

"There's only so much eye-fucking I could take," Alex muttered.

Rachel snapped her head at her side so quick she might have a whiplash, her eyes wide as if she had been discovered doing something she wasn't supposed to. She opened her mouth to say something but shut them tight the moment she saw the annoying smirk on Alex's face. She huffed and crossed her arms, scolding herself for acting defensive for something she didn't do.

"Shut up."

"Can't blame them though. You look fucking hot with those tight jeans," Alex whispered on Rachel's ears, causing the girl to blush.

Alex whimpered when she felt Rachel's elbow hit her side.

"Shut up," Rachel repeated between gritted teeth, feeling a bit more uncomfortable now than a few minutes ago. She rolled her eyes when Alex only chuckled and kissed her cheek.

The corner of Rachel's lips quirk a little, trying her best to hide the smile at the sweet gesture. For a moment, she wondered why she couldn't just love the girl beside her instead. It would make her life a lot better. Easier.

But then she made the mistake of looking back at the performing trio and her heart leaped.

And that was her answer.

Some things were just the way they were. It wasn't something she could control no matter how much she tried. The feeling was just there. All. The. Freaking. Time.

Rachel frowned when she noticed the relaxed and carefree faces of the girls in front turned sour all of a sudden. She was so far up in her head that she didn't notice that the show was over and the trio were now throwing daggers at...Alex.

Huh?

"So, what do you think, Rachel?"

What?

"I apologize,Mr. Schue. I must have missed some of what you have just said. If you could please repeat that so I can provide you a more thorough answer to your question."

"Umm...right. I was just asking what you think about the girls' performance."

Rachel cleared her throat. What was she supposed to say? Of course the girls weren't as talented as she was but growing up with them, Rachel was very familiar with the trio's potential and how amazing they were. But could she really say that without getting carried away? With her being verbose and all.

"It was," _amazing_ , "okay. There's still some parts that needed improvement but then again, they don't have the same extensive training that I have so I'm not really expecting much." Rachel sealed her lips tight when she noticed the reaction of the girls. Quinn had her infamous eyebrow raise, Santana was looking at her in disbelief with her mouth slightly open and Brittany was damn pouting.

Rachel cleared her throat again, "Anyway, thank you for auditioning..." she paused slightly, chewing on her lip as if contemplating on her next words, "but I’m pretty sure you guys don’t belong here,” she regretted those words the moment she said it. For some reason, it tasted bitter even from her lips but she ignored it. She had to keep it together. “True, we are short in members right now, but I’m pretty sure there are some people out there who are willing to join the club without any ulterior motives.” Again, that stupid dropping of her stomach in a not so good way. “And I’m sure you couldn’t blame me for not trusting you.”

‘Ouch.’ Alex mouthed, placing a hand on her chest in mock hurt while making sure that the girls were looking at her. Her grin almost split her face in half when she got the reaction she was aiming for.

Silence engulfed the room as all eyes turned to Rachel in disbelief.

"Are you being serious right now?" Kurt broke the silence.

Rachel tried to open her mouth but was interrupted by Mr. Schue. 

"Now, Rachel, I know you guys have your differences but I don't think it's fair to reject them just because of personal reasons. I expected more from you than that."

Rachel pressed her lips together, feeling ashamed of her own actions. She knew it was low and she was trying really hard not to feel bad at the heartbroken faces of the girls but it was hard enough avoiding the three of them in the hallway. What's going to happen if the trio were about to spend extra hours in school, singing and dancing with the rest of the club? The chance of her working together with them was really high. They were a team (now) after all. She wasn’t really sure she could trust herself around them. They had always been her weakness.

Before an apology slipped out of her mouth, Alex interrupted her.

"I'm pretty sure you don't know just how _personal_ it is, Mr. Curly Hair."

There was a collective of snickers from the class and Mr. Schue frowned, narrowing his eyes at the brunette, "And you are?"

Alex smirked, noticing how the trio tensed up at her comment only to have it wiped away with Rachel's 'shut up' glare.

Oopps. She forgot she was supposed to pretend she doesn't know anything. Oh well. She couldn't help it. It was fun seeing the girls’ cool and calm demeanor crumble.

"You did not just."

Or...maybe it wasn't as fun if you have a growling tiny diva sitting beside you.

"I'm Alexandra Katherine Fields, former co-captain of Vocal Adrenaline,” Alex introduced, ignoring the collective gasps from the Glee kids. She might have forgotten to tell them that part when Rachel introduced her,“until I realized what a total bullshit it was to co-lead a bunch of bitches and assholes," Alex turned to the girls in front, "who think that crashing and hurting other people was the best way to show everyone who's on top and boost their ego when the truth is, they are just scared because they know there are people who are way better than them," she finished with a satisfied smile when she saw the faces of the Cheerios darkened. She was pretty sure she heard Rachel took a deep breath before mumbling 'Oh God'.

Wow. Rachel was totally killing her fun.

"O...kay," Mr. Schue attempted to break the awkward silence as he looked back and forth at Alex and the Cheerios who were now having a staring contest. He cleared his throat loudly, catching some of the attention and clasped his hands together, his eyes turning to Alex, "Right. Okay. So...I guess you're here to audition as well?"

"Sure thing." Alex stood up, looked over her shoulders and winked at the diva, "This is for you babe."

“Alright. The floor is all yours.”

The Cheerios reluctantly gave way to the brunette who seemed to be silently laughing at them with her eyes. There was a five second silence as the four girls sized each other up, the other Gleeks finally being aware of just how much tension there was between them. With a huff from Quinn, an eye roll from the Latina and a failed attempt of intimidation from Brittany by pointing her fingers at her narrowed eyes then to Alex as if to say ‘I’m watching you’ to which Alex replied with a smirk and a wink, they finally took their seats.

Alex held the microphone and motioned for the band to start playing, her eyes wearing a playful glow as they locked with Rachel’s.

 

_The day I first met you_

_You told me you'd never fall in love_

_But now that I get you_

_I know fear is what it really was_

Alex didn’t fail to produce a chuckle from the diva and relieved washed through her. She could feel the tension from Rachel’s body and made it her goal to make her relax. This song wasn’t really the one she wanted to sing but seeing Rachel’s face lit up, she didn’t really care much about showing off. This song was significant for the both of them in a funny way. Alex couldn’t forget her failed attempt to pick up a girl that had caught her attention through this song.

That girl happened to be one Rachel Berry.

_Now here we are,_

_So close yet so far._

_Haven't I passed the test?_

_When will you realize,_

_Baby, I'm not like the rest?_

Alex made sure to gesture her hands towards the direction of the Cheerios with a taunting grin.

"Fucking bitch," Santana muttered under her breath as she watched Alex perform. "I will be forced to strangle her one of these days and I will not be held responsible for my actions."

_Don't wanna break your heart_

_Wanna give your heart a break_

_I know you're scared it's wrong_

_Like you might make a mistake_

_There's just one life to live_

_And there's no time to waste, to waste_

_So let me give your heart a break, give your heart a break_

_Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break_

_There's just so much you can take_

_Give your heart a break_

_Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break_

_Oh yeah, yeah_

 

"Or maybe we should just kill her now," Quinn said between her teeth as they watched Alex kneeled in front of Rachel and took her hands.

 

_On Sunday you went home alone_

_There were tears in your eyes_

_I called your cell phone, my love_

_But you did not reply_

_The world is ours. If we want it,_

_We can take it if you just take my hand._

_There's no turning back now._

_Baby, try to understand_

 

"This is depressing. It's making me a really sad panda," Brittany pouted, "This isn't what I expected. I thought Rachel would be happy to see us here."

Alex finished her performance with a bow before throwing a knowing smirk on the direction of the trio. Santana subtly gave her the finger by scratching her eyebrow while Quinn sneered at her. Brittany still had that damn pout. 

Seeing the heated exchange, Rachel grabbed Alex and pulled her to sit beside her. She still planned on giving her friend a piece of her mind because of her obvious motive to make the girls uncomfortable which, in turn, was making her uncomfortable too. She wasn't supposed to say a word to anyone about the trio but Alex was her closest friend. Plus, she would totally explode if she wasn't able to at least let out some of the bad feelings she had and Alex just happened to be her outlet. They couldn't take that against her.

It's just too bad that Alex could be incorrigible at times. Alex just loved teasing people without caring about the boundaries. It kind of reminded Rachel of Santana. Except, Alex was less hostile.

“Wow. That was amazing, Alex. Thank you and welcome to New Directions,” Mr. Schue said before turning to the three Cheerios, “Quinn, Brittany, Santana, thank you for giving Glee club I try. Welcome to our family.”

Cheers and applause filled the room as the kids welcomed Alex and, though a bit reluctant, the cheerleaders as well since they didn’t really have much choice.

The girls only bothered to give a polite smile and nod since they were too busy watching Rachel jumped excitedly as she wrapped her arms around Alex’s neck and pulled her in to a hug.

They’ll be honest. That was the reaction they were hoping to get from the diva. Not...this. And despite the warm welcome from the other Gleeks—which was a real surprise to them— they still felt like they didn’t belong there. They could still feel how the kids were trying to keep their distance from them. Not that they could blame them. But whatever awkward feeling they were having right now, they would endure it.

Because Rachel was worth it. She always had been.

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

 

Rachel stole a sideway glance at the three cheerleaders. Somehow, the three of them looked so out of place being there. So small. Their usual confidence had gone and was replaced by uncertainty. Rachel could see it perfectly. And for a moment there, she actually felt bad about her words earlier.

Only for a moment.

But then she remembered everything they had put her through which was why the moment they were dismissed, she quickly gathered her stuff and made a beeline for the door. She was surprised when she felt a hand gently grabbed her arm but she was even more surprised when she came face to face with none other than Quinn Fabray.

“Can we talk?”

Rachel pressed her lips together. She was torn between slapping the hand that was on her arm away or giving in because Quinn sounded so small when she asked that question. Her eyes traveled down to where Quinn’s hand was in contact with her arm and she tried to ignore the disappointment when Quinn let go.

“Is there a problem here?”

Thank God for Alex.

“There is. Now that you’re here,” Quinn replied irritably.

Alex scoffed, “From what I can see, you’re the unwanted presence here.” 

Quinn narrowed her eyes, her face hardening with anger. She took a step forward but was held back by Santana and Brittany. 

“Q, now isn’t the right time.”

“Let’s just go home, Quinn. We could do this some other time,” Brittany whispered to their Captain’s ear.

Quinn visibly relaxed but her face remained guarded. Without a word, she passed by Rachel and Alex, making sure to shoulder pass Alex on her way out, Brittany and Santana in tow who each gave Rachel a smile while completely ignoring Alex. 

Quinn reached for the door knob and stopped, looking over her shoulder at Rachel before offering a small smile.

“We’ll talk to you soon, Rachel.”

And Rachel was stupefied at how much it sounded like a promise.


	17. Chapter 16

It must have sucked to be her right now.

Rachel sighed for the hundredth time. This wasn’t how she had pictured herself on a Sunday morning when she offered to help at Burt’s garage. She didn’t have any plans that day since Alex was at work. And she could use the extra money, no matter how little. Other than singing and dancing and you know, ‘training’, she also spent some of her childhood days watching her dad fixed cars. Seemed like one of the perks of not having too many friends were that you get to have a lot of spare time to do other things. Leroy was more than happy to teach her that too.

So Rachel decided to come with her dad at Burt’s and was actually excited to get her hands dirty since it’s been a while since she had last touch a car’s engine.

But still, this wasn’t how she had expected things to turn out.

Rachel sat at Burt’s office, her chin rested on her hand as she lazily doodled on a paper while waiting for her help to be needed. The garage was a bit dead right now.

‘I guess people are starting to learn to fix their own cars.’

Rachel turned her attention when the door opened and her dad poked his head through the door. “Hey, Rach, honey, I need your help.”

Hey eyes perked up, thanking the Gods because she was already dying of boredom, “Sure dad. Anything.”

“Judy called. She is asking for a change oil but she can’t bring the car here today. Can you go to their house instead?”

 Rachel hesitated, “As in...Judy Fabray?”

Leroy gave her a look as if to say ‘Who else?’

Rachel grinned sheepishly. She rubbed the back of her neck as she thought of a way to get out of this situation. She couldn’t go there. She wasn’t sure she was comfortable with the idea. Things were still awkward between her and the Cheerios. Chances were Quinn, and most probably Brittany and Santana, would be there. And based on the events these past few weeks, bad things happen when they were around each other.

She’s doing her best effort to avoid the girls in school. It’s not easy when they seemed to be everywhere--in the hallways, classroom, Glee, _freaking auditorium_. Really. It felt like they were following her wherever she went. It wasn’t like she didn’t notice it but she knew they were trying to approach her. She could see them from the corner of her eyes. They were looking at her— _staring_. She could _see_ their need to talk to her.

It’s funny how she had wanted that kind of attention from them before. She _longed_ for it. But now...

Now, things were different. It was like seeing them again for the first time. Rachel would look and she would see someone else. All her pent up feelings for two years were screaming to get out—the anger, the hurt, the sadness...everything. It felt like her heart was about to burst and it wouldn’t take long before she exploded.

But as much as she had wanted to just yell it all out on their faces, she was scared of the possible outcome. Was it worth it? Were _they_ worth it?

That was why right now, it was best not to be in the same place, alone, with the three Cheerios. She was hurt. She was angry. And she was confused. She wanted to be far away from them as possible. So far, she was getting lucky.

Except today. Right now.

“Dad, I really don’t think—“ Rachel was cut off as her dad handed her the tools she would need to do the job with that appreciative smile as if she was doing him a huge favor.

How could she say no to that?

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel had prayed and hoped and begged that Judy would be home alone. She had repeated it like a mantra the moment she left the garage until she found herself knocking on the Fabray’s mansion. She took deep breaths, hoping to calm her palpitating heart. She couldn’t help the relieved smile she let out once the door opened, revealing the older Fabray.

Looks like luck was still on her side.

“Rachel!” Judy greeted, giving Rachel a warm hug before letting her in.

“Hello, Judy. It’s been a while,” Rachel replied, her heart getting filled up with warmth as she returned Judy’s hug. It really had been a while. She didn’t realize just how much she had missed the older blonde until now.

“It sure has. How are you, dear?”

“I’m doing great. I’m sorry I haven’t been visiting. I was...” _left out by my childhood friends and had no reason to come here anymore_ , “...busy. You know, high school, Glee,” Rachel finished with an awkward chuckle.

“I see,” Judy replied, staring at the girl in front of her.

Rachel shifted nervously at the intensity of the older Fabray’s stare. She couldn’t pinpoint it but it seemed like Judy was expecting her to say more. Well, she did have a lot of things to say, more particularly about her daughter. But she couldn’t. She didn’t want to be that kind of loser who blabbered about someone’s kid that made her cry.

Besides, this wasn’t just someone else. This was Judy. And it was about Quinn. That thought alone made things difficult. She didn’t want to be the one to ruin the peace between their families. Judy was like a mother to her. She couldn’t bear to hurt her when she found out that her good little Lucy was now the scary Ice Queen.

And that Quinn was, well, involved of some sort with Santana and Brittany.

So, no. Rachel was pretty sure she couldn’t handle any more of that drama. She would probably end up going crazy and kill herself. She couldn’t even tell her own dads what happened to them. One day, they just stopped asking her about it.

Judy knew something happened between the four of them. Considering the way the older blonde was looking at her, it seemed like Quinn failed to mention it to her mother.

But then again, they weren’t children anymore. Whatever happened between them, should stay between them. Getting the adults involved would only make it more complicated.

“So...yeah. I should probably get started with your car.”

“Oh yes. Of course. Come, dear. I’ll walk you to the garage.”

Rachel smiled and nodded, grateful for being out of that situation. It was getting awkward. “Thank you, Judy.” She walked behind the older Fabray, her eyes sharp and ears alert for any signs of the trio.

“The girls aren’t here right now. Cheering practice,” Judy said as if hearing her thoughts. “So I’m sure you’ll be able to work without getting disturbed.”

“Good,” Rachel said a bit too quickly, as if she’s thrilled to know that the girls weren’t there. Talk about being too obvious. “I mean, it’s good—that I won’t get disturbed—not that I’m relieved they’re not here,” she rambled and released a nervous laugh.

Judy narrowed her eyes before shaking her head with a smile, “I missed you, Rachel. This house wasn’t as alive at it used to without you visiting anymore.”

Rachel almost cried then.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

“You have got to be kidding me,” Quinn couldn’t help but growled as she saw the old pickup that Finn always used in school. The three of them just finished practice and decided to hang out at their place today. The least thing she had expected was to see Finn’s truck in front of their house on a Sunday morning. He was getting pretty good at avoiding them since the incident at the Secret House.

“What’s Finnept doing in your house, Q?” Santana asked, irritated at the idea of seeing the quarterback.

“No idea,” Quinn grumbled as she parked her car in front of their house and quickly marched down towards their house, followed by Brittany and Santana. She was prepared to give Finn a piece of her mind when she suddenly stopped on her tracks, surprised and confused to hear her mom laughing. Last time she checked, her mom wasn’t so fond of her ex.

The three shared a look until they heard a very familiar voice. They ran to the kitchen and though they have thought about it, it still came as a shock.

When Quinn said that the least thing she had expected was to see Finn, she was wrong.

There Rachel was, wearing a black tank top, sitting and laughing with her mom over a cup of tea. It was a sight she never thought she would see again.

“Mom?” Quinn asked quietly, as if scared to ruin the moment, her eyes trained to the tiny brunette sitting on a stool across her mom.

Rachel stiffened, not daring to look up. Her grip tightened at her cup.

She had run out of luck.

She cursed herself for forgetting the time. But she couldn’t get herself to regret spending the last hour talking to Judy. She had missed her. A lot.

“Oh Quinnie, you’re home early,” Judy said calmly, oblivious at the sudden tension in the room, “Hello Santana, Brittany.”

“Hey Mrs. F,” Brittany waved while Santana nodded with a casual, “Hey Judes.”

“Coach let us off early. She has some business she needed to attend to,” Quinn answered, her gaze not faltering from Rachel, “Hey Rachel.”

At that, Rachel couldn’t help but look up, offering a nod and tight lipped smile, “Hey.”

“What are you doing here?” Quinn asked slowly as she walked towards the table, stopping beside her mother. Brittany sat at the end of the table with Santana standing beside her.

Rachel pursed her lips, noticing how the girls seemed to be approaching her carefully as if she would just bolt out of the room with one wrong move. Come to think of it, she probably would. If only Judy wasn’t there.

“She came to service the car,” Judy answered before Rachel could open her mouth. Rachel was actually thankful for it. She didn’t know how to be casual around the girls anymore. Everything seemed to always end up in utter awkwardness and she wasn’t too pleased to let Judy see that.

“Oh. So that explains the truck outside. I thought Finn was here.”

There was a moment of silence which was interrupted by the house phone ringing. Looking around, Judy expected Quinn to get the phone but was surprised to see her daughter staring intently at Rachel who seemed to have found her empty cup of tea quite interesting. From the end of the table, she could see Brittany looking at Rachel with a far away expression. Santana’s eyes were everywhere except to them and she appeared to be uncomfortable as she shifted from one foot to another.

Raising one perfectly eyebrow—the Fabray way, Judy took in her surroundings and stood up with a shrug. “Well, I guess I’m the only one who can hear the phone ringing,” she muttered before making her way out of the kitchen.

Before anyone could react, Rachel hastily stood up and muttered, “I should probably get going.”

That seemed to have snapped the girls. Quinn was quick to follow the tiny diva whose hands were already on the door knob. “Rachel, wait. _Please_.”

Rachel paused, surprised at how Quinn sounded so small and desperate. Quinn, the Head Bitch In Charge, Ice Queen, Captain of the Cheerios, was _begging_ her to stay. If only the situation was different, Rachel would have laughed. She took a chance to turn around and looked back. She could see Quinn’s hazel eyes that were usually hard and cold were now brimming with desperation, sadness, and...Was that longing? She turned her eyes on the two girls behind the blonde. Santana’s face was stoic but Rachel could see that the Latina was feeling uneasy as evidence by how her hands were fisted on her sides. Brittany was simply worrying her bottom lip and looking back and forth between Rachel and Quinn.

Rachel almost felt bad. _Almost_. She shook her head, trying to convince herself not to fall for it. How many times did she have that same look on their faces as she was once again doused with frozen liquid? Made fun of? Humiliated? Never once did they bat an eyelash at her direction. So, no. Rachel wasn’t going to go easy on them _this time_. Things would have been less complicated if only she didn’t see what she saw at Puck’s. So yeah. Sue her for being too bitter. Nobody could really blame her if she felt so fucking angry and betrayed right now. She had earned that right.

“Rach—“ Santana’s started but was answered by the door being slammed.

Rachel walked faster towards the truck as she fumbled with the keys. She stiffened when she felt a soft hand wrapped around her arm. It was gentle but enough to make her jump and turn around.

“Rachel. Please. We just want to talk,” Brittany said, lowering her hand slowly.

Rachel stared at the tall blonde. Brittany—she, who couldn’t hurt a fly but had chosen to hurt her best friend. She, who had never personally thrown a single insulting word at Rachel and yet, never did anything to stop it. She, who had smiled at her, albeit secretively, at the hallways but pretended that she didn’t see anything while Rachel’s eyes burned from being slushied.

Yes. Brittany never assaulted Rachel personally, but Brittany had never done anything to help her either.

“I don’t want to talk,” Rachel said firmly, turning around to unlock the truck.

“Rach—“ Brittany attempted to reach out for Rachel again but the brunette slapped her hand away.

“I said!” Rachel raised her voice but paused when she saw the blonde flinched. She closed her eyes as if praying to God to not let her lose it. Because really, she was almost there. With a lower but harder tone, she spoke again, “I don’t want to talk.”

“B-But—“

Rachel hopped on the vehicle and sped away, tires screeching, without looking back.

Brittany watched the speeding truck disappear around the corner. She stood still, staring at nothing until she felt two sets of arms wrap around her.

“Britt...” Santana whispered softly. That’s all it took before a sob escaped from Brittany’s lips and before she knew it, she found herself a quivering mess in her girlfriends’ arms.

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Rachel stormed in Burt’s office as if it was her own. She carelessly threw the keys before slumping down on the seat. Good thing Burt wasn’t there today. She didn’t think Burt would appreciate her bursting the door open in his own office. She was quiet for a minute before she covered her face with her palms and let out a strangled scream.

She was doing her best not to feel anything and yet, she couldn’t ignore the heavy feeling in her heart. She should be happy, right? She was finally standing up for herself.  But why was she feeling so bad about what happened? She couldn’t get the images of the girls’ faces off of her mind. They looked so lost and desperate and hurt. Rachel couldn’t understand why. Why now? What changed? Why was she feeling so guilty about this when they had done so much worse to her?

Rachel groaned and slumped her head on the desk with a thud. It’s so hard to have a conscience sometimes.

“Hey Short stuff.”

Rachel sat up but didn’t bother to look up to know who it was. “What are you doing here, Al?”

Alex shrugged as she sat on the couch, grabbing a magazine and started browsing it. “Oh you know, I called your phone but was surprised when your dad answered it. And then I asked for you, and then he said that you’re at Fabray’s. So now I’m here because I would like to personally hear from you how bad it went,” Alex finished with a smirk.

“I serviced Judy’s car. The end.”

“Is that why you’re trying to murder Mr. Hummel’s desk?”

Rachel paused, looked down and winced. There were marks and indentations on Burt’s desk as she realized that she had been violently stabbing it with a cutter that she had grabbed somewhere. Realizing her mistake, she quickly hid the cutter in one of drawers and tried to cover the marks with a stack of papers. She stared at Alex who was smiling knowingly at her.

“Shut up.”

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Half an hour later, the three girls found themselves in Quinn’s room. Brittany had cried herself to sleep, mumbling about how much Rachel hated them. Quinn and Santana lay on either side of the tall blonde while whispering soothing words to calm their girlfriend down. Santana sighed in relief when they heard a soft snore coming from Brittany. She looked at Quinn who was absentmindedly playing with Brittany’s hair while staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Q...”

“...Yeah?”

“What are we going to do?” Santana hated the feeling of being helpless, especially if it involved the two blondes. It was frustrating and annoying and she wanted to beat someone out just to release some stress.

It had been almost two months now since that fateful incident at Puck’s. People would think that the top three bitches were fast thinkers at scheming and perfect at putting their plans in to action, but not this time. Not when it came to Rachel. Things with her were just...a lot more complicated. Actually, scratch that. Complicated was an understatement.

This thing with Rachel was beginning to take a toll on their relationship. Brittany wasn’t as enthusiastic as she usually was. Quinn and Santana would always find themselves arguing about whose fault it was for being careless at Puck’s. Brittany would be torn between them and would just end up ignoring both of them. And then it would take a lot of groveling before the tall blonde would start talking to them again. And then the three of them would start blaming each other for hurting Rachel in the first place.

“I honestly don’t know, S,” Quinn responded silently. “Rachel’s being...hard.”

Santana scoffed, “Well, if you’re so-called childhood best friends tormented your for two years, I wouldn’t be surprised she’s being difficult.”

Quinn sighed, her expression morphing into irritation, “Don’t start with me, Santana.”

“...Sorry. I’m just...Ugh.”

“I know, San. I know.”

They thought joining Glee would somehow help them get closer to Rachel but it was starting to prove them wrong since the tiny diva wouldn’t even look their way, avoiding them like a plague. It didn’t help that Alex just loved to taunt them every chance she could get. But they couldn’t get themselves to quit because this was one of the ways they could show Rachel that they were being sincere.

“Is she ever going to forgive us?”

The question hanged in the air until both of them joined Brittany in to a not so peaceful slumber.

 

**Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B**

Alex stared blankly at Rachel while nursing her already cold coffee as the small brunette finish telling her what happened at the Fabray’s.

“Wait. That’s it?”

“Apparently.”

“No way! I came all the way here for that?” Alex asked, not hiding her disappointment.

“I never told you to come.”

Alex grunted, “But I was expecting more than that. Rachel Berry, The Sore Loser versus Unholy Trinity, the Top Three Bitches of McKinley,” Rachel rolled her eyes at that, “You guys always have very interesting encounters. Usually, you ending up being all awkward.” Alex finished with a laugh.

Rachel narrowed her eyes at Alex, “Ha ha. I’m thrilled to know you find my situation very entertaining, _friend_.”

“Oh come on, Rach. Don’t be like that.”

Rachel kept quiet, sticking out her bottom lip in a pout, as she pretended to be busy with her phone.

Alex’s face turned sincere and smiled in understanding. She stood up and walked over to where Rachel was sitting and nudged her with her shoulder. “Come on, Short stuff. I was just teasing you. You know me. I’m always on your side...Just in my own crazy way.”

“I know,” Rachel sighed, a smile slowly forming in her lips. “I’m sorry, Al. I just feel like my head is all over the place right now.” Rachel stood up and began pacing back and forth, her hands moving around, “I don’t know what or how I’m supposed to feel with all of these—I mean, there are times that I feel so angry and hurt when I see them, and then there are times when I just feel so sad and confused—especially earlier when I just yelled at Brittany and I saw how hurt she was or when I walked away from Quinn and Santana—I mean, why should I feel bad about it? I shouldn’t! ...And yet, I do.” Rachel finished with a resigned voice as she sat down, rubbing a hand on her face.

There was a moment of silence with Rachel wallowing and staring in to space.

“I totally get it.”

Rachel sat up straight and turned her head to Alex, raising an eyebrow, “You really do?”

 Alex rolled her eyes. She sat at Burt’s chair and crossed her legs above the desk. “Sure. It’s pretty simple actually. They hurt you. Badly. They made your life a living hell for two years. But worse, they had punctured that happy bubble of yours where you believed that your friendship was worth more than some high school hierarchy—something that you _think_ you continuously believe for the past two years because you’re a hopeless softy like that—”

“I really hope you have a point in this.”

“--The more they hurt you, the more you keep it to yourself,” Alex continued, “And then you convince yourself that it was okay when in reality, you’re just dying to fight back and scream at their faces about how much of a bitch they are now. You’re just denying it.”

Rachel furrowed her brows as she absorbed Alex’s words but kept quiet.

“Then they tried to make amends with you—asked for another chance but ruined it anyway because you found out that all this time that they had pushed you away and made you miserable for being you—“

Rachel raised an eyebrow at that.

“--a _nd_ gay, they have actually been fucking each other’s brain out.”

Rachel gawked, “Do you have to be so crude?”

Alex shrugged nonchalantly, “It’s me you’re talking to, Rach.”

Rachel still couldn’t believe how much Alex reminded her of Santana.

But then again, that was one of the things she adored about the barista. She was so Santana-ish sometimes.

Which was also the reason why Rachel just couldn’t be _with_ her because, well, she wasn’t Santana. And that wouldn’t be fair to Alex.

“I wish you didn’t have to actually say it like that—because now, that’s all I can think about. It’s quite disturbing.”

Alex smirked and looked at Rachel knowingly, “Is it really?”

“Oh shut up, you perv. Besides, I don’t think they had actually done it—the three of them, I mean. Together.”

The barista stared blankly at the diva. “Rachel,” she drawled, as if talking to a child, “you saw them making out. In the bathroom. _Half naked_. Seriously. How naïve can you be?”

Rachel simply crossed her arms with a huff.

“See? That’s your problem right there.”

“What is?”

“When you don’t like something, you refuse to acknowledge it. You deny it even if it’s right in front of you. And then you replace it with something that is acceptable for you.”

Rachel narrowed her eyes, “Is that so bad?”

“Right now, yes!” Alex exclaimed, lightly slamming her fist on the desk. “Because you’re denying reality, Rachel. And it’s eating you up.”

The diva was silent, her face not showing any signs of emotion.

“But I can’t really take that against you, can I?” Alex continued in a softer tone. “I can’t blame you for trying to protect yourself. But it has got to stop. This thing with the girls is just hurting you the more you try to suppress it. Don’t fight it, Rach. Just let it out. It’s not your loss. It has always been theirs.”

Rachel tried to hold back the tears forming in her eyes but failed when she felt Alex sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She choked on a sob and the next thing she knew, she was crying her eyes out as she leaned in to the embrace, burying her face on Alex’s neck. All the things that Alex said made sense. It hurts but it was the truth.

But still, it hurts.

“Sshh...It’s going to be okay, Rach,” Alex whispered on Rachel’s ears. “That’s why you’re conflicted right now. There’s a part of you saying that it’s not fair to make it _too easy_ for them. But there’s another part that wants to just forgive and forget. And I can’t take that part away from you as much as I fucking want to,” Alex joked, earning a chuckle from the tiny brunette. “You’ve always been so forgiving, Rach. You’re having a hard time because it’s not like you to be so,” Alex moved her free hand as if looking for the right word, “well, unforgiving. It’s against your nature.”

Rachel sniffed, “That...makes sense in a strange way.”

“Of fucking course.”

“Do you have to swear too much?” Rachel frowned.

“Fuck yeah.”

Rachel rolled her eyes, playfully punching the barista on the stomach.

“Hey! Careful. You do have an iron fist you know.”

“And you have an abs as hard as a rock. You’re fine.”

Alex leaned back, glancing at the diva with her usual playful smirk, “Is that you’re way of saying I have a nice body?”

Another punch. “Shut up.”

Alex grumbled, stroking her tummy because Rachel could really punch even if she didn’t mean to.

There was a moment of comfortable silence before Alex broke it.

“You really don’t have to be so fucking—“

“Stop swearing.”

“—nice all the _fucking_ time, Rach,” Alex continued, ignoring Rachel. “Nobody’s going to judge you. And if they did—well, I’m sure you can give them a taste of your iron fist. That’ll shut them up for sure. I don’t know why you’re so afraid.”

Rachel looked at her friend with an exasperated sigh, “What do you want me to do? Deal the problem with violence?”

“If that’s what it takes.” Alex shrugged.

“Alex!”

“Fine. Talk to them—You’re good at that too, anyway.”

Rachel stared incredulously, ignoring the jibe at her talkativeness.  “I can’t just approach them after ignoring them for two months!”

“Oh please. I’m sure they’d be more than happy to entertain you since they’ve been following you like lost puppies almost everywhere.”

“...You noticed that?”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Everyone. Except you, apparently.”

“Yeah, well. I’m a keen observer. Plus, it’s entertaining to watch the four of you play hide and seek.”

“I’m glad you’re having fun,” Rachel said sarcastically which Alex replied with a sweet smile. “And when did you become so smart?” she added as an afterthought.

“I am smart. I just don’t show it all the time.”

Rachel stared at Alex in appreciation. She really didn’t know what she’d do without this girl. She knew Alex would always have her back no matter what. If only things were so simple. If it was only easy to just let go of the memories she had with the girls. If only Rachel wasn’t so attached to them.  If only...feelings weren’t involved.

But she was attached and feelings were involved. And there’s no point speculating the what if’s because they were never going to happen. Alex would always be her best friend, minus the romantic feelings. Rachel knew that. Alex knew that.

“Anyway, I have to get back to work.” Alex got up from the couch, “Thank you, Rachel. You have cured by boredom with your dramatic but interesting life story. As always,” she said with a wink before quickly grabbing the door open as a flying pillow hit the door.

Rachel shook her head, amused. She grabbed her phone and typed a quick thank you to Alex for keeping her company.

Alone now, Rachel was silent for a while, pursing her lips as she considered what Alex said. Well, she had been considering _everything_ Alex said. Their conversation had somehow opened her mind. What was she really afraid of? Why was she running away? It’s not like she got anything to lose anyway. Alex was right. They had lost each other a long time ago. She just didn’t want to believe it.

But how was she going to face them? Was she even ready? What if she started rambling with words that didn’t even make sense and end up embarrassing herself? That could happen. It happens to her all the time.

Or...she could just stop thinking about it right now and _when_ it happens, then—well, she’ll just have to see to find about.

Rachel rubbed her temples as she felt an impending migraine.

This was seriously not how she had pictured her Sunday.


End file.
